RAMALLAH, October 27, 2026 (WAFA) – As Israel’s elections get underway, Palestinian concerns are mounting over the prospect of the Israeli right’s success, amid increasingly hardline statements by ruling right-wing parties regarding the future of the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian people.
In a contest to adopt increasingly extreme positions toward Palestinians, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has openly called for the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority and publicly promoted plans to displace Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu, the current prime minister and leader of the Likud Party, rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state, while his supporters pledge to repeal the Oslo Accords and he remains committed to expanding Israeli occupation control over Palestinian territory.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has also withheld Palestinian clearance revenues in an effort to economically strangle the Palestinian National Authority and bring about its collapse. In addition, he advocates expanding settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and imposing Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank.
These positions place the future of the Palestinian National Authority and Palestinian rights at the heart of Israel’s electoral discourse. Calls to dismantle Palestinian governing institutions intersect with projects of annexation, settlement expansion, and forced displacement. As party leaders seek to attract voters by pledging tougher measures and tighter security control, extending to the displacement of Palestinians, their statements raise concerns that these pledges could be translated into faits accomplis if the far right wins the election.
Smotrich and Netanyahu: Expanding military operations and demolishing homes
Alongside Ben-Gvir’s statements, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a large-scale military offensive in the West Bank, “just as in Gaza,” according to media reports. Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation army has displaced approximately 2,000 Palestinians in Hebron, demolished Palestinian homes, and established military control over residential neighborhoods.
In the same context, Netanyahu said he was preparing a “big surprise” for the Palestinian National Authority, in a statement that did not clarify the nature of the measures he intends to take. This came alongside Ben-Gvir’s calls to dismantle the Palestinian National Authority, extending the scope of the threats beyond military measures in Hebron to the very future of the Palestinian National Authority.
Israeli parties’ positions on Palestinians
The positions of Israel’s competing political parties differ regarding the future of the Palestinians. However, several major parties reject the establishment of an independent Palestinian state or pledge to expand Israeli control over the occupied territories. The main positions are as follows:
Likud — Benjamin Netanyahu: Netanyahu advocates disavowing the Oslo Accords and attacks those who signed them. He remains committed to continued Israeli occupation security control, while his government continues to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Otzma Yehudit — Itamar Ben-Gvir: Ben-Gvir calls for dismantling and disarming the Palestinian National Authority, imposing Israeli occupation sovereignty over the West Bank, introducing the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners, and encouraging what he calls the “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Religious Zionism — Bezalel Smotrich: Smotrich advocates economically besieging the Palestinian National Authority until it collapses, annexing large areas of the West Bank, expanding settlements, and launching large-scale military operations similar to those carried out in Gaza.
Yisrael Beiteinu — Avigdor Lieberman: Lieberman calls for dissolving the Palestinian National Authority and repealing the Oslo Accords. He has proposed arrangements under which Jordan would assume administrative responsibility for Palestinian areas, while Israel retains control over others, preventing the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state.
Yashar — Gadi Eisenkot: Eisenkot rejects the principle of a two-state solution and pledges to continue the war on the Gaza Strip.
“Together” Alliance — Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid: Bennett opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state and supports settlement expansion and continued military operations in Gaza. Lapid, by contrast, speaks of the possibility of a two-state solution in the long term, but has made no commitment to halting settlement expansion in the West Bank.
The Democrats — Yair Golan: The party advocates an approach it calls “responsible separation,” alongside disarming the Palestinian National Authority and retaining Israeli security control over strategic areas, including the Jordan Valley.
The Joint List and the United Arab List (Ra’am): Both lists advocate political equality for Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel, an end to the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Their positions stand in contrast to those of parties that advocate annexation or reject Palestinian sovereignty. However, their participation in any governing coalition faces opposition from the leaders of Israel’s main political blocs, amid rivalry among Zionist parties and their exploitation of growing racism among the Israeli public for political gain.
These positions demonstrate that the electoral contest is not solely about who will become Israel’s next prime minister. It also concerns the future of the Palestinian people, the extent of Israeli occupation control over the West Bank, the fate of settlements, and Palestinian rights. While some parties explicitly call for dismantling the Palestinian National Authority or displacing Palestinians, others focus on maintaining Israeli occupation security control and rejecting full Palestinian sovereignty.
T.R.
