Where is Israel headed under Netanyahu?

Under his leadership, Israel's population doubled, driven by migrating Jews from Arab states like Yemen, Morocco, and Iraq. It also adopted a socio-political model influenced by democratic socialism, epitomised by trade unionism, community labour, cooperative agricultural communities, and a robust public sector.  

Likewise, Ben-Gurion laid the foundation for Israel's military, merging several Jewish underground militias (including Irgun, Lehi, Palmach, and the largest—Haganah) to form the Israeli army. This did not go smoothly, with Irgun continuing its activities outside the army, and in the summer of 1948, this led Ben-Gurion to order the bombing of an Irgun-organised Israel-bound ship carrying soldiers and weapons, leading to 19 deaths. 

It was one of Ben-Gurion's most significant early decisions, alongside his decision to build a nuclear reactor with French assistance, which helped stabilise the nascent state by solidifying and consolidating the army's role as the only legitimate national armed force.

The army was called into action early, given that Israel's first era was marked by wars with Arab armies in 1956, 1967, and 1973. The resulting territorial expansion included the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, and full control of historic Palestine, which led to the first Israeli settlements in the occupied territories following 1967. 

Simultaneously, Israel strengthened its alliances with Western nations, particularly the United States, firmly aligning itself with the Western bloc during the Cold War against the then Soviet Union and solidifying its position as a formidable regional power in the Middle East.  

Israel's second era

Ever since 1977, Israel's left-wing political parties have struggled, with analysts pointing to this year as the initial ascendancy of Israel's nationalist right, led by the Likud Party under Menachem Begin (1977–83) and Yitzhak Shamir (1983–92). This period saw deep divisions emerge within Israeli society, with increasing polarisation between religious and secular Jews, and between Eastern (Mizrahi) and Western (Ashkenazi) Jews. 

Political divides also deepened between left and right, particularly with religious nationalists, many of them settlers who opposed compromise with the Palestinians. This was at odds with other factions who had supported compromise towards a two-state solution to preserve Israel's Jewish identity and democratic character.

This era witnessed the waning influence of Israel's original 'pioneers' (the ideological settlers, farmers, and fighters who helped establish the Zionist state) and a shift in the social, political, and economic landscape that ultimately gave rise to different societal values, not least those of consumerism and individualism.

Private enterprise and the pursuit of profit replaced the original cooperative, collectivist ethos of the kibbutzim. Tech industries flourished. Production was privatised, markets were liberalised, and the state reduced its role in the economy.

Politically, the dominance of two or three parties gave way to a gradual proliferation of factions that were often smaller, ethnic, personal, and issue-driven. Internationally, a big moment came in 1978 when Israel signed a peace treaty with Egypt.

Although there has been a slow and steady decline in the centrality of the Arab-Israeli conflict, some Israeli leaders in the early 1990s still sought peace with the Palestinians, whose Intifada (uprising) from 1987-93 triggered the Madrid Conference in 1991, which ultimately led to the Oslo Accords in 1993, which led to the recognition of a Palestinian entity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Despite these diplomatic achievements, however, the period was far from peaceful. In 1981, Israel destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor. In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon and laid siege to Beirut, which ended in the expulsion of Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) from Tunisia.  

Israel's third era

Benjamin Netanyahu, now the country's longest-serving prime minister, encapsulates the third era in Israel's history. His three tenures span four decades, from 1996-99, 2009-21, and late 2022 to date. This era is marked by deepening divisions within Israeli society. The four big groups include secular Jews, religious nationalists (including West Bank settlers), ultra-Orthodox Jews, and Israeli Arabs. 

In recent years, religious nationalists and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties have propped up Netanyahu's right-wing coalition governments and pursued their agenda to reinforce Israel's identity as a Jewish state at the expense of its secular character within the framework of democratic liberalism, at least as it pertains to its Jewish citizens.

This shift is encapsulated in the phrase "the State of Judea took control of the State of Israel," in reference to Judea and Samaria, the name given to the West Bank by religious nationalists who advocate for settlement across all Palestinian territory. 

Netanyahu's era has witnessed societal fractures along ethnic and ideological lines, with unprecedented demonstrations against the Israeli government in the past two years, interrupted only by the Hamas attack on 7 October and subsequent war in Gaza.

In 2018, Israeli lawmakers passed a new Basic Law, which declared Israel the nation-state of the Jewish people and effectively reduced Palestinian Israelis to second-class citizens. Basic Laws make up Israel's constitution. More recently, Israel's current government sought to undermine the authority and independence of the judiciary, namely Israel's Supreme Court, which has struck down many of the Israeli government's most discriminatory plans.

The era has been marked by an increasing Israeli political unwillingness to allow any Palestinian statehood or autonomy, and by the Israeli public's apathy towards the plight of the Palestinians, which was only exacerbated after 7 October 2023. 

Aluf Benn, a commentator for the left-wing Haaretz newspaper, wrote that Netanyahu had three goals in politics: "to remain in power as long as possible, to replace the elites in Israel, and to dismantle the Palestinian national movement". To do this, he incites against the 'left' and perpetuates the occupation in the West Bank, Benn added.

Netanyahu has profoundly reshaped Israel's character and image. The long-term implications of this transformation are still uncertain. From its conduct in Gaza, more states now see Israel as a colonialist, racist endeavour committing genocide. Whether that ushers in a fourth era remains to be seen.