Israel’s election next week may change its leader, but not its strategy: Iran will remain its chief adversary, military force will continue to be its preferred tool and Palestinian statehood a distant prospect, Reuters reports citing regional policymakers and analysts say.
Tel Aviv may toughen its security policy, the analysts say, as victory for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the backing of far-right coalition partners may embolden him to step up the war with Iran, tighten Israel’s grip on the occupied West Bank and push diplomacy further to the margins.
Israel’s security doctrine now rests on three pillars: breaking Iran, holding buffer zones beyond its borders and using force to deter enemies.
The real divide is one of degree rather than direction — how aggressively Israel fights its wars, how far it expands Jewish settlements in the West Bank and whether any leader opts for diplomacy, the analysts add.
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