For a brief moment this year, Israeli voters appeared poised to unseat their longtime prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, a right-wing ideologue who has pursued a program of settlement expansion and military aggression in Palestinian territories. But Mr. Netanyahu wasn’t going to give up without a fierce fight.
In a desperate ploy for votes the day before this week’s election, the prime minister vowed that he would not permit a Palestinian state. That declaration helped his party win enough seats in parliament to secure his position for a fourth term.
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Mr. Netanyahu’s remarks should prompt American leaders to reconsider their near-unconditional support of the Israeli government. His intention to prolong indefinitely Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories has been clear since long before this election season. The Obama Administration has urged him to halt construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which are considered unlawful by most of the world, and to get serious about peace talks.
His response has been to ramp up settlement construction, which he conceded this week was part of a strategy to make a Palestinian state impossible. On election day, Mr. Netanyahu expressed his dismay that Israeli Arabs — who make up more than 20 percent of Israel’s population — were voting.
Mr. Netanyahu’s statements reveal his willingness to do anything to remain in power, including keeping up the delusion that Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is in his country’s best interest. In reality, it will only do more damage to his fractured relationship with the United States and to his own people’s security.
To be sure, Palestinian leaders haven’t been reliable negotiating partners; they have repeatedly rejected viable peace deals proposed by moderate Israeli leaders. Hamas’ continued provocations against Israeli civilians only legitimate their fears that a Palestinian state could spell their destruction.
But instead of renewing diplomatic efforts, Mr. Netanyahu has exploited his people’s fears and escalated the conflict to what threatens to become a point of no return. His tactics have jeopardized not just Israel’s foreign policy, but also U.S. policy in the Middle East.
This month, Mr. Netanyahu addressed Congress in a brazen attempt to derail the Obama Administration’s nuclear negotiations with Iran. Nearly a quarter of Democratic members of Congress, including Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo, properly chose not to attend the speech.
The White House rightly said this week that it will give space to Israeli leaders in the coming weeks to assemble a governing coalition. Once that happens, though. President Obama and Congress must get tough on Mr. Netanyahu.
He evidently feigned support for a two-state solution to secure U.S. military and other aid to his country. Now that he has abandoned that plan, he must propose a better alternative.
The longer Israel stalls, the more difficult it will be to secure a just solution for Israelis and Palestinians. If Mr. Netanyahu will not voluntarily reverse his reckless course, then Mr. Obama and Congress should look hard at cutting back U.S. aid until he reconsiders.
First Published March 19, 2015, 4:00 a.m.