These statements come in a context where right-wing forces compete to capitalize on nationalist fears by attempting to prove who is more extremist than others within the already far-right, and by portraying Palestinians and Arabs as a threat that requires further hardline measures. In this climate, the debate over the failures of the occupation government and its political and economic responsibilities recedes in favor of a discourse that directs anger toward Arabs and makes hostility toward them a factor in garnering votes.
This equation is based on investing in hatred to achieve electoral gains, such that the more intense the competition within the right-wing camp, the sharper the discourse against Palestinians becomes, the more positions rejecting political settlement and the establishment of a Palestinian state escalate, and the more calls for expanding settlements, annexing occupied territories, and growing incitement to carry out aggressive and terrorist practices against Palestinians—whose rights are presented as a threat to Israeli interests—are reinforced, allowing the most hardline politician a broader opportunity to attract voters.
The danger lies in this discourse emanating from officials holding government positions, which gives them direct influence in shaping public opinion and defining the limits of what is acceptable in political life. Repeated incitement normalizes exclusion, weakens the rejection of discrimination, and provides political cover for practices that infringe upon the national and civil rights of Palestinians.
This discourse extends to Arab citizens within Israel by questioning their loyalty and targeting their political participation, as if their national identity conflicts with their right to citizenship. Thus, elections turn into an arena for stirring up nationalist divisions, and the Arab citizen becomes a target for political propaganda instead of being an equal partner in public life.
These practices reveal a fundamental contradiction in the discourse of the Israeli right; the parties that raise the slogan of security and stability continue to fuel a political environment that deepens the conflict through incitement against Palestinians, expanding settlements, and undermining the chances for peace. Further extremism is marketed as a guarantee of security, while policies that close the political horizon and exacerbate mistrust continue.
Transforming hatred into a means to mobilize voters has direct repercussions on the future of the conflict, because it grants extremism electoral legitimacy, weakens the chances for a settlement, encourages the continuation of policies based on extremism, exclusion, and discrimination, and makes hostility toward Arabs a path to power, which has turned electoral calculations into a factor that perpetuates the occupation and obstructs legitimate Palestinian rights.
These facts impose a responsibility on the international community to confront racist incitement, hold those responsible for hate speech accountable, and reject the use of elections to justify settlement, annexation, and discrimination, while affirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state.
In conclusion, the recent elections revealed the nature of the extremist political orientations and choices adopted by Israeli society. At the same time, the hate speech that rallies votes against Arabs reflects a deep crisis in the inverted equation in the occupying state—unlike other countries in the world—between democracy and human rights. As long as this society, which is becoming more extremist day by day, responds to political incitement, the repercussions of what is happening will remain present in the policies and practices that will be reflected in the continued non-recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people. Despite what the Israeli far-right tries to do to erase the Palestinian cause, the chances for peace in the entire region will remain linked to ending the occupation, respecting Palestinian rights, and confronting the discourse that makes hostility toward Arabs a means for political ascent.
