Gaza war deepens political tensions over Israel and its allies
Tensions are mounting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over the makeup of a potential future government, as international pressure over Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank also intensifies.
Israeli media reported that the dispute centers on whether Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party would be included in a future Netanyahu-led coalition following the Oct. 27 Knesset election.
Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu had assured Ben-Gvir and Likud lawmaker Tally Gotliv that Otzma Yehudit would be part of his next government. Ben-Gvir’s party rejected the report, saying no such conversation had taken place between Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir in recent weeks.
The party instead claimed Netanyahu had told several figures that Otzma Yehudit would not join his next government and that he preferred Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot as a coalition partner.
Ben-Gvir later criticized Netanyahu publicly, saying Otzma Yehudit had shown greater loyalty to him than some Likud lawmakers. He also objected to what he described as efforts to replace him with Eisenkot.
Britain pledges stronger action
The political dispute comes as Britain signals a tougher approach toward Israel over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and developments in the West Bank.
First Secretary of State Louise Haigh said Tuesday that the UK would no longer stand by while Palestinian civilians, including children, are killed in Gaza.
Speaking to the Trades Union Congress, Haigh said Britain had been too slow to respond to developments in Gaza and the West Bank and pledged to increase pressure on the Israeli government.
She pointed to measures announced last week by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, including a ban on imports from Israeli settlements, sanctions against companies and individuals involved in settlement expansion and additional sanctions against Israeli settlers accused of supporting or inciting violence against Palestinians.
Haigh said the measures were intended to challenge what Britain considers unlawful settlement activity while keeping alive the possibility of a two-state solution.
US senators seek West Bank investigation
In Washington, more than 20 US senators led by Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Van Hollen, Tim Kaine and Bernie Sanders introduced a resolution seeking a State Department report on violence in the occupied West Bank.
The measure would require the State Department to provide information on investigations into the deaths of US citizens in the territory involving Israeli settlers or Israeli security forces.
It would also seek an assessment of human rights conditions in the West Bank, including the detention of Palestinian children.
Shaheen said the United States had a responsibility to ensure that the deaths of American citizens were thoroughly investigated. Other senators called for stronger action against violent settlers and greater protection for Palestinians and US citizens in the territory.
The senators said nine Americans had been killed in the West Bank in recent years and argued that the cases had not resulted in sufficient accountability.
Pressure grows over Gaza and West Bank
The resolution invokes Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act, under which Congress can request a State Department report on human rights conditions in countries receiving US security assistance.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee would have 10 days to consider the measure before it could be brought to the Senate floor. If approved, the administration would have 30 days to submit the report.
The developments come as Netanyahu faces a dispute over the future composition of his political coalition while Britain and members of the US Senate push for greater scrutiny of Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Source:AA
