- Title: Palestinians voice concern over Netanyahu win
- Date: 10th April 2019
- Summary: HEBRON, WEST BANK (APRIL 10, 2019) (REUTERS) HEBRON RESIDENT, MOHAMMAD ZAHEDI, READING NEWSPAPER AL-AYAM PALESTINIAN NEWSPAPER HEADLINE READING (English):" KNESSET ELECTIONS: TIGHT RESULTS AND NETANYAHU'S CHANCES ARE BETTER." (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEBRON RESIDENT, MOHAMMAD ZAHEDI, SAYING: "The Israeli elections reflect results that have already been decided a while ago, when Netanyahu was called to go to Washington, and these elections if they indicate anything is that there is hatred and aggression against the Palestinian cause, and these elections do not change anything for us, the Palestinian people." PEOPLE WALKING IN STREET VARIOUS OF WOMAN BUYING BREAD (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEBRON RESIDENT, NADER IMAM, SAYING: "All the Israeli leaders, all of them work against the Palestinian people. Specifically, this government, with Netanyahu's lead, it has confirmed that they do not want peace, and have gathered all the extremist right wing parties with Netanyahu. We do not expect that they will initiate peace with the Palestinian people." GAZA CITY, GAZA (APRIL 10, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SIGN READING GAZA IN FRONT OF BEACH VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING NEXT TO BEACH (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GAZA RESIDENT, YEHYA AWEIDAH, SAYING G: "This will not grant us anything new, rather it will cause us new misery and suffocation in Gaza, whether it is Netanyahu winning or any other party in Israel." WOMEN SITTING ON BEACH DEPUTY HAMAS GAZA CHIEF KHALI AL-HAYYA AT DESK AL-HAYYA WRITING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DEPUTY HAMAS GAZA CHIEF KHALIL AL-HAYYA, SAYING: "It does not concern us what Netanyahu or any other party will bring. We only declare what we, as Palestinians, want. What is needed from us, Palestinians, such as facing the deal of the century, facing instability, facing normalization, facing singularity, that is how we can face these obstacles that existed before the Israeli election and still exist after the Israeli election. These obstacles are still ongoing whether this Israeli party wins or that Israeli party wins. All these parties are based on occupation, displacement of the people of this land and denying all our national lasting rights." PEOPLE AT MARKET VARIOUS OF MARKET AND MERCHANTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GAZA RESIDENT AND MERCHANT, MAHER ABU OUBAYD, SAYING: "This will definitely affect the Gaza Strip, because they are all extremists right wing parties, and they hate Arabs, and it will affect the Gaza economy a lot." KHAN AL-AHMAR, WEST BANK (APRIL 10, 2019) (REUTERS) VIEW OF KHAN AL-AHMAR DONKEY EATING GRASS HEAD OF THE KHAN AL-AHMAR VILLAGE COUNCIL, EID JAHALIN, WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF THE KHAN AL-AHMAR VILLAGE COUNCIL, EID JAHALIN, SAYING: "The danger has increased because there is the danger of the coalition of Netanyahu's government, and now he is part of a right wing government, and the condition of the right wing parties, as part of the government, is to demolish Khan al-Ahmar, so now Khan al-Ahmar is targeted, and now any second the occupation's bulldozers could come and demolish Khan al-Ahmar village, so that the right wing Israeli parties would be satisfied and would compose the occupation's government." VARIOUS OF VIEW OF KHAN AL-AHMAR
- Embargoed: 24th April 2019 11:13
- Keywords: Blue-White Israel Benny Gantz Likud election Benjamin Netanyahu reactions voters newspapers
- Location: KHAN AL-AHMAR, HEBRON, WEST BANK/ GAZA CITY, GAZA
- City: KHAN AL-AHMAR, HEBRON, WEST BANK/ GAZA CITY, GAZA
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001A9VNHON
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Palestinians were mostly concerned on Wednesday (April 10) after Israeli election results showed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured a clear path to reelection.
With more than 97 percent of votes counted, Netanyahu's conservative Likud party looked likely to muster enough support to control 65 of the Knesset's 120 seats and be named to head the next coalition government - a record fifth term as premier.
Netanyahu highlighted his close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, who delighted Israelis and angered Palestinians by recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017 and moving the U.S. Embassy to the holy city last May.
Two weeks before the election, Trump signed a proclamation, with Netanyahu at his side at the White House, recognising Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war.
In a rare turn during the race towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Netanyahu further alarmed Palestinians by pledging to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank if re-elected. Palestinians seek a state there and in the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Commenting on the election deputy Hamas Gaza Chief Khali Al-Hayya said: "These obstacles are still ongoing whether this Israeli party wins or that Israeli party wins, all these parties are based on occupation, displacement of the people of these land and denying all our national lasting rights."
The last round of U.S.-brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed in 2014.
Trump is expected to release his administration's long-awaited Middle East peace plan after the election. If it includes Israeli concessions to the Palestinians, Netanyahu's probable far-right coalition allies will likely object.
Should Netanyahu retain the helm, he will become the longest-serving Israeli prime minister in July, overtaking the country's founding father, David Ben-Gurion. That could be scuppered if criminal charges are filed and force his removal.
(Production: Abed Shana, Ma'moun Wazwaz, Suheir Sheikh) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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