Middle East analyst Neri Zilber says that even though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a tough reelection bid next month amid allegations of corruption, he is still “better positioned” than opponent Benny Gantz.
“Netanyahu is in a tight race. Having said that despite an indictment coming down from the attorney general and despite the escalation on the Gaza border in the West Bank, he’s better positioned than Benny Gantz to actually form the next government,” Zilber, an adjunct fellow of The Washington Institute, told Hill.TV’s Krystal Ball and Buck Sexton during an interview that aired on Tuesday.
“You need a parliamentary majority under the Israeli system, so even if Benny Gantz were to ‘win the actual election’ and get more seats than Netanyahu — Bibi, just according to the polls, might be better placed to actually become the next prime minister,” he continued.
Zilber cited Netanyahu’s meeting this week with President Trump as a positive sign for the prime minister’s reelection prospects on April 9, noting that the the president signed a historic order recognizing Israel sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The meeting, however, was cut short by a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip that wounded seven people.
“Aside from the Gaza escalation … it was a big win for Netanyahu in the middle of a very tight reelection campaign,” Zilber told Hill.TV. “President Trump last week tweeted out his intention to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights … there was really no compelling strategic or diplomatic need to do this right now, except that it helps Netanyahu domestically.”
The Middle East expert said the Trump administration remains a “true friend” of Israel, particularly when it comes to the Netanyahu government, but that the close relationship poses some serious diplomatic questions.
“The only question to my mind and the question that should be asked by Americans is what the U.S. gets out of it diplomatically,” Zilber said.
“In other words, you can give Netanyahu government a U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, recognition of the Golan, but what are you really getting [from] them in return? And so I think previous administrations might have been perhaps more even-handed,” he added.
—Tess Bonn
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