Sir, – Considering the rhetoric of Binyamin Netanyahu in the run-up to the Israeli election, one would have to concede that hopes for a viable Palestinian state have been dealt a serious blow. He has already promised a step-up in the building of settlements on the occupied West Bank and has effectively ruled out a two-state solution. He has revealed his true colours in his xenophobic fear-mongering over the rise of a unified Arab-Israeli party in this election.
There can be no doubt now that Mr Netanyahu cares nothing for any aspirations that Palestinians have for dignity and justice. The Palestinians have no recourse now but to join the community of nations through the institutions of the UN and the International Criminal Court. There they may have some hope of getting western leaders, particularly those in the US, to start treating Israel like any other country, on an equal footing and subject to the full rigours of international law. – Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
Blackrock, Cork.
Sir, – May I throw some light on the Israeli general election results which so worry Dr Kevin McCarthy (March 19th)?
The results show that a record number of women, and far more Arabs will serve in the next Knesset. A total of 28 women will serve in the next Israeli Knesset, compared with 27 in the previous Knesset, which was also a record at the time.
Mainly, but not only, thanks to the strong showing of the new Joint Arab/Communist List, the new Knesset will see a significant increase in Arab representation. A total of 17 Arabs will serve in the 20th Knesset, compared with 12 previously.
Along with 13 out of the 14 members of the Joint Arab/Communist List, there will also be four Arab parliamentarians representing “Zionist” parties. The new Knesset will have no openly gay members, after Nitzan Horowitz, who served as a Meretz representative in the 18th and 19th Knesset, decided to call it quits. Only nine members of the 20th Knesset live over the “Green Line” so it is not full of right-wing “extremists”.
Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu, whose constituents are mainly Russian-speaking voters, ran on one ticket in the last election, when they won a total of 31 seats. In this election, Likud won 30 seats alone (compared with 20 in the last election). Because of the increase in the minimum threshold for representation (from 2 per cent to 3.25 per cent), fewer parties got into the new Knesset. Only 10 parties will serve in the 20th Knesset – the lowest number since 1992. – Yours, etc,
Dr FR BAIGEL,
Bury,
Lancashire.