Palestinians see little difference between former and new Israeli presidents
In the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestinians ruled out that changing the Israeli head of state would make little difference. According to Reuters, they believe the nationalist leader set to succeed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would likely follow the same right-wing plan.
“There is no difference between one Israeli leader and another,” said Ahmed Raziq, a 29-year-old government employee in Gaza. “They are good or bad for their state. When it comes to us, though, they are all terrible, and they all refuse to provide Palestinians with their rights and land.”
Under a coalition, the Israeli political spectrum agreed that Naftali Bennett, the former head of the leading West Bank settlement organization, will take over as prime minister.
Bassam al-Salihi, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation
Organization, said that Bennett is no less extremist than Netanyahu and added: “Rather, he will make sure that this extremism appears more during this government.”
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which runs the Gaza Strip, also said that no difference would come from a change in the government.
The ruling coalition will include an Islamic party elected by members of the Arab minority, which makes up 21% of the population of Israel and is Palestinian in cultural and heritage terms, but they hold Israeli citizenship.
