The new government’s domestic policies could easily undermine the main foreign policy achievement of Netanyahu’s previous tenure -- the Abraham Accords.The return to power of Benjamin Netanyahu, the longest serving prime minister of Israel, in last week’s elections underlines his canny political skills in coalition building. Having won a significant majority for his coalition in the Knesset, or the Israeli parliament, Netanyahu is in a position to offer a more stable government than the ones produced in recent years. But Netanyahu’s success, riding on an alliance with extremist forces, casts a dark shadow over Israel’s democracy and its relations with the Middle East and the world. That he might build a durable government only makes matters worse. Netanyahu’s electoral triumph is rooted in the failure of the left-of-centre parties. It is really unfortunate that the out-going prime minister Yair Lapid, whose ruling coalition included an Arab party for the first time, dashed the regional and global hopes for positive change in Israel.
Israel’s friends and partners are warily watching the consequences of Netanyahu’s regrettable alliance with a formation called the “Religious Zionism” that includes a number of ultra-right wing parties including the Jewish Power party. The leader of this party, Itamar Ben-Gvir is notorious for his rabid hostility towards the Arabs, who now account for one fifth of Israel’s population. Ben-Gvir, who is used to demand “death to the Arabs”, has tempered his slogan – “death to terrorists”. But there is no mistaking the dog whistle against the Arabs. And if Netanyahu concedes Ben-Gvir’s demand for the ministry of public security, there is bound to be even greater repression of the Arabs in Israel. The right-wing parties also want to curb the powers of the Supreme Court; this might be convenient for Netanyahu, who has been facing a trial over corruption charges.
The new government’s domestic policies could easily undermine the main foreign policy achievement of Netanyahu’s previous tenure — the Abraham Accords. The normalisation of relations with the Gulf countries has significantly reduced the political isolation of Israel in the Middle East and laid the foundation for expansive political, economic and security cooperation with the region. If Netanyahu cedes too much ground to the right-wing forces, he will make it harder for Israel to retain the support of the Arab Gulf. Netanyahu’s hardline policies over the years have already led to the loss of much political goodwill for Israel in Europe. Netanyahu’s relations with the US Democrats have always been tense and his return to power will make the Biden Administration uneasy. Israel’s democratic backsliding at home and the reversal of cooperation with the Arabs could make matters worse for Washington. For India too, it might not be business-as-usual with Israel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to congratulate Netanyahu, but Delhi must be prepared to nudge the Israeli leader not to undermine the relations with the Arab Gulf, where India’s economic and geopolitical stakes have dramatically risen in recent years.