{"id":134605,"date":"2026-10-12T17:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T15:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=134605"},"modified":"2026-10-12T07:32:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T05:32:08","slug":"18-05-121","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=134605","title":{"rendered":"Zionist parties unite against Palestinian state in JNS election debate"},"content":{"rendered":"<hr>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"center alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.reunion68.com\/Biuletyn\/img\/jns-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"35%\"><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #000080;\"><span><strong><a style=\"color: #000080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/news\/israel-news\/zionist-parties-unite-against-palestinian-state-in-jns-election-debate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zionist parties unite against Palestinian state in JNS election debate<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Steve Linde<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\">\n<div>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Eight of nine parties represented opposed Palestinian statehood, while opposition parties split over their choice for prime minister.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.jns.org\/dims4\/default\/a9b7620\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1671x941+0+0\/resize\/1000x563!\/format\/webp\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.jns.org%2F53%2Fb9%2F298e69a34de78f3c312c8a83310a%2Fisraels-election-debate-broadcast-graphic.png\" width=\"100%\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>Representatives of nine Israeli political parties participated in the JNS-Yad L\u2019Olim English-language election debate ahead of the Oct. 27 elections, Oct. 11, 2026. Credit: JNS.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Representatives from eight of nine Zionist Israeli political parties participating in an English-language election debate aired on Sunday rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state, revealing a striking degree of consensus ahead of the Oct. 27 election.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The JNS-Yad L\u2019Olim debate, moderated by former Knesset member Dov Lipman, founder and CEO of Yad L\u2019Olim, and JNS columnist and TV host Ruthie Blum, brought together representatives from nine parties spanning much of Israel\u2019s political spectrum.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Participating were Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli (Likud), Alex Rif (Yashar), MK Moshe Tur-Paz of Together (B\u2019Yachad), MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party), MK Oded Forer (Yisrael Beiteinu), MK Gilad Kariv (The Democrats), Yishai Fleisher (Otzma Yehudit), Fleur Hassan-Nahoum (Amcha Yisrael) and former MK Einat Wilf (Reservists-Economic Party).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Asked for a simple yes-or-no answer on whether they supported the establishment of a Palestinian state, Hassan-Nahoum was the most emphatic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cIt\u2019s a hell no,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Forer said, \u201cNo, definitely not,\u201d while Fleisher said his party would \u201cfight it tooth and nail.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The Religious Zionist Party\u2019s Rothman responded, \u201cNo, no, no.\u201d Tur-Paz of Together said: \u201cClearly no. The clear answer is no.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Chikli said Likud opposed a Palestinian state in any form, while Rif also rejected the idea.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Wilf initially declined to give a yes-or-no response, arguing that the deeper issue was Palestinian rejection of Zionism.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cThe only reason there is no Palestinian state is not because any right-wing party ever prevented it or any leader prevented it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t exist because the Arabs have never wanted a state for themselves if it has to live next to a Jewish state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Lipman interpreted Wilf\u2019s response as a \u201cno.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The unusual degree of agreement over Palestinian statehood contrasted sharply with disagreements elsewhere in the debate, particularly over the future of Gaza, the drafting of haredim into the IDF, responsibility for the failures surrounding the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre and who should lead Israel after the election.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The only representative not to reject Palestinian statehood during the debate was The Democrats\u2019 MK Gilad Kariv, who was temporarily disconnected when the question was put to him and did not respond. Kariv has expressed support in the past for a two-state solution, arguing that Israel should ultimately agree to a demilitarized Palestinian state as part of a broader regional agreement.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Gaza after Oct. 7<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The candidates broadly agreed that Hamas must not be allowed to rebuild its military capabilities but differed over how Gaza should be handled.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Hassan-Nahoum outlined a plan promoted by Amcha Yisrael leader and retired IDF Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter that would separate Gaza\u2019s civilian population from Hamas, establish a weapons-free area and leave Israel as the sole provider of humanitarian supplies before moving militarily against the remaining terrorists.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">A second stage, she said, would facilitate voluntary emigration for Gazans who want to leave.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cWe have a plan and we will implement it, and that is how you win the war in Gaza,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Chikli blamed the Oct. 7 massacre on policies dating back to the Oslo Accords and Israel\u2019s 2005 disengagement from Gaza, as well as the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cThe mission is to keep the yellow line and to control Gaza and to not allow Hamas to raise his head,\u201d he said, adding that Israel must continue eliminating Hamas commanders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Rif accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to translate Israel\u2019s military achievements into lasting strategic change.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cWe will not buy temporary quiet while Hamas prepares the next Oct. 7,\u201d she said, calling for Hamas\u2019s military and governing capabilities to be dismantled and for Israel to retain freedom of military action in Gaza.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Forer called for Israel to end its responsibility for supplying Gaza with electricity, water and humanitarian aid, while Fleisher advocated Israeli control and eventual resettlement of the territory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Tur-Paz said the overriding goal must be to disarm Hamas and argued that Egypt and the United Arab Emirates should play a role in postwar Gaza rather than Qatar and Turkey.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Rothman said the challenge was not merely adopting tough policies toward Hamas but forming a governing coalition capable of carrying them out, arguing that parties dependent on political partners opposed to such policies would be unable to do so.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Kariv said the government that was in power on Oct. 7 could not be entrusted with shaping Israel\u2019s future security policy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cThose people led us into Oct. 7,\u201d he said. \u201cThey cannot lead the State of Israel after what happened.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Haredi draft takes center stage<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The candidates also sparred over one of the election campaign\u2019s most divisive domestic issues: military service for haredi men.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Forer proposed requiring every Israeli citizen to report for service from the age of 18, with the IDF selecting those it needs and others performing national service in institutions such as the police, fire service and hospitals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cIf you are not serving, you will not get anything from the state,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Tur-Paz said a Naftali Bennett-led government would cut state funding for those who refuse to serve and redirect resources to Israelis who do serve.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Hassan-Nahoum advocated a combination of incentives and sanctions, arguing that Israelis who serve should receive greater state benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cEverybody in this country has to serve if they want to be full citizens, getting full rights,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Rothman and Fleisher both argued that greater haredi enlistment should be achieved through gradual social change and incentives rather than coercion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Kariv said the gradual approach to haredi enlistment was no longer adequate after Oct. 7, while Chikli said enlistment was already rising and accused previous governments of advancing weaker legislation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Wilf called for universal service encompassing men and women, Jews and Arabs, with those not required by the IDF performing other forms of national service.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Who should lead Israel?<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The question of who should serve as prime minister exposed a sharp contrast between the two political blocs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">All four representatives of parties in the right-wing bloc\u2014Likud, the Religious Zionist Party, Otzma Yehudit and Amcha Yisrael\u2014said they would recommend Netanyahu for prime minister.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Chikli said Netanyahu, \u201cobviously,\u201d while Fleisher said Otzma Yehudit would support the Likud leader but seek to \u201ckeep him strong and to the right.\u201d Hassan-Nahoum also backed the prime minister as leader of the right-wing bloc, while Rothman said his party would support Netanyahu while pushing the government further on settlement, judicial reform and other issues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Opposition representatives, by contrast, were divided over whom to recommend for premier.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Rif said Yashar would recommend its leader, former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, while Tur-Paz backed former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of Together.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Forer said his preference was Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman, but he added that the four Zionist opposition parties should decide after the election who should head the government.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Kariv said The Democrats would back the opposition candidate best positioned to replace Netanyahu, adding that \u201cright now it looks like Gadi Eisenkot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Wilf declined to name a specific candidate, saying the Reservists-Economic Party would support the candidate who could secure the backing of the largest number of Zionist Knesset members.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Oct. 7 inquiry<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The candidates also split over how the failures surrounding the Oct. 7 massacre should be investigated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Rif, Wilf, Kariv, Forer and Tur-Paz supported establishing a state commission of inquiry, the statutory mechanism used to investigate major national failures.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Chikli, Rothman, Fleisher and Hassan-Nahoum opposed allowing the judiciary to determine the makeup of such a commission, instead calling for a mechanism that would command broad support across the political divide.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Wilf said a state commission was the only existing investigative mechanism with sufficient legal authority.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cThe fact that we\u2019re debating it is a travesty,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Rothman countered that the judiciary should not be given a role in choosing the commission.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cThe justice system in Israel is involved in security decisions. That\u2019s why this justice system cannot be in charge of investigating itself,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">He proposed a commission that would have the support of 80 Knesset members from both the coalition and opposition.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><i>Watch the debate <\/i><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link\" style=\"color: #808080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/live\/w5r0OkD25ag\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-cms-ai=\"0\"><i>here<\/i><\/a><\/span><i>.<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\">\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"content-alignment\">\n<div id=\"watch-description\" class=\"yt-uix-button-panel\">\n<div id=\"watch-description-text\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion&#8217;68,<\/em><em><br \/>\nani te\u017c webmastera Blogu Reunion&#8217;68, chyba ze jest to wyra\u017anie zaznaczone.<br \/>\nTwoje uwagi, linki, w\u0142asne artyku\u0142y lub wiadomo\u015bci prze\u015blij na adres:<br \/>\n<\/em><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong><em><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"mailto:webmaster@reunion68.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">webmaster@reunion68.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr style=\"width: 100%;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zionist parties unite against Palestinian state in JNS election debate Steve Linde Eight of nine parties represented opposed Palestinian statehood, while opposition parties split over their choice for prime minister. Representatives of nine Israeli political parties participated in the JNS-Yad L\u2019Olim English-language election debate ahead of the Oct. 27 elections, Oct. 11, 2026. Credit: JNS. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[33,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134605"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134605"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134621,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134605\/revisions\/134621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}