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A crisis rebound 

Jun 06,2021 - Last updated at Jun 06,2021

Once again, Israel is trying to export its internal crises to the Palestinians. This has happened on previous occasions, as the Israeli right-wing players try to remain in power through creating a state of internal polarisation against an external enemy by fabricating a crisis brought on by the Palestinians. 

In his quest to remain in power and avoid prosecution on corruption charges, Benjamin Netanyahu wants to appear as a strong leader capable of dealing with the Palestinian threat, and without the presence of this threat he will not be able to promote this idea, so a violent crisis had to happen. The result of this crisis which would be the mobilisation of the right-wing voters in new elections, since he failed to do so in the last five elections.

What is happening now reminds us of the events of the year 2000 when Ariel Sharon visited Al Aqsa Mosque in a provocative manner resulting in a Palestinian uprising which erupted. This uprising was accompanied by violent incidents and the result was Sharon’s success in winning the votes of the electorate in Israel and removing his rival Ehud Barak in 2001. 

The Israelis know very well that all that is needed to create a crisis is to provoke the Palestinians, who are enraged mainly because of the humiliation and siege practiced against them daily. When the political crisis in Israel became deeper and the scenario of Netanyahu leaving power became a reality, the trigger had to be pressed and the situation exploded, hoping for survival, regardless of the human and moral cost of such action.

But it seems that this time things are different and the calculations were not accurate. What happened so far has contributed to deepening the internal crisis in Israel. Rather, it contributed to the transfer of the crisis from the level of political elites to the street, with the escalation of societal violence in mixed cities inhabited by Arabs and Jews inside Israel. Israeli politicians are now blaming Netanyahu and holding him responsible.

The current crisis has also placed Israel in a bad position internationally. The image of Israel in front of the world is further entrenched as an occupying power that practices killing, violence, and racism against the Palestinians. Israel’s allies find themselves in an embarrassing position. They cannot justify the Israeli actions and they do nothing more than say that it is Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas’ rockets. Meanwhile, Iran saw what is happening as a golden opportunity to inflict painful strikes on Israel. 

Certainly, the Palestinians’ losses in this crisis are great, they are losing their loved ones and their homes. However, the losses of Israel are not that simple, as the political, human and socioeconomic costs have become high and it is clear that fabricating the external crisis will not lead to a solution to the internal crisis. On the contrary, things seem on their way to be more complex within the Israeli interior.

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