Israel’s neighbors watch October 27 elections — Asharq Al-Awsat
Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria are closely watching the upcoming elections in Israel scheduled for October 27. According to Asharq Al-Awsat, polls indicate that the contest will be close: the bloc of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which includes ultra-right-wing and ultra-Orthodox allies, will compete with the bloc of his main rival, centrist Gadi Eisenkot.
At the launch of Likud’s election campaign, Netanyahu said that he had changed the face of the Middle East and intended to continue doing so. The publication notes that the prime minister did not apologize for maintaining Israel’s military presence in Lebanon and Syria, while his ministers spoke about plans to relocate Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Concerns of Jordan and Egypt
Jordanian analyst Oraib Rantawi believes that the Israeli government’s approval of a large number of settlements in the West Bank amounts to the gradual unofficial annexation of that territory. He also called Israeli officials’ calls to relocate more than three million Palestinians across the Jordan River an existential threat to Jordan. Jordan’s King Abdullah II told the UN that the Israeli government’s expansionist ambitions had become a regional threat.
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In Egypt, there are expectations that a less ideological Israeli government more focused on security could reduce tensions around Gaza. Former ambassador El-Said Shalaby noted, however, that this would not necessarily change Israel’s fundamental position. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that Cairo would deal with any future Israeli government.
Lebanon and Syria
In Lebanon, a former minister and diplomat, speaking anonymously, expressed pessimism about the possible impact of the elections on Israel’s policy. In his assessment, Eisenkot may use less radical rhetoric, but the political course will not change in practice because ultra-right-wing forces remain in power. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called the elections Israel’s internal affair, but asked whether Israelis and future governments wanted stability and security at the border without wars.
A Syrian diplomatic source told AFP that, for Damascus, what matters more is not a complete change in the rules of the game but the emergence of a government less inclined toward escalation and more willing to listen to Washington. The source suggested that a centrist government or a right-wing cabinet not centered around Netanyahu could be less interested in using escalation to gain political advantages.
