Less than a week before Israelis return to the polls, right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has renewed his pledge to annex large parts of the occupied Palestinian territories into Israel, as soon as he is elected a Prime Minister.
The March 2 elections will be the third time in less than a year that Israelis vote in a general election.
Israel has already begun preparing maps that show the settlements under full Israeli sovereignty, even though they are all illegal under international law.
A few days ago, Netanyahu said that his government would work to turn the West Bank into an integral part of
“Israel!”???? pic.twitter.com/6uwVAQZjS2— Rolagameel (@rolagameel) February 22, 2020
The embattled Israeli Prime Minister is hoping to stay in his post, especially as he faces a trial on March 17, for serious corruption charges.
Desperate to clinch a victory, which would allow him to bargain for immunity at the Israeli Knesset (Parliament), Netanyahu has been wooing Israeli voters to vote for him.
Much of Netanyahu’s campaigning efforts have focused on the country’s right-wing constituency, especially the illegal Jewish settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Meanwhile, over 500 former Israeli Air Force officers appealed to the country’s President, Reuven Rivlin, to prevent Netanyahu from forming the next government, Israel’s daily Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
Israeli Air Force pilots appeal to @PresidentRuvi: Don't task @netanyahu with forming next coalition.
https://t.co/CnrRPYO1pX— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) February 23, 2020
“In the State of Israel it is impossible for a situation to exist in which a man who is indicted for bribery, fraud and breach of trust will form a government,” the pilots appealed to Rivlin.
They also asserted that a Prime Minister cannot “send the army to operations and wars, unless he is cleared of any wrong-doing by the court.”
Among those who signed the letter, are mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai, and the former head of the Israeli Air Force, Avihu Ben-Nun.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
