According to polls, the elections in Israel scheduled for March 2, which are taking place for the third consecutive time in approximately a year, would not be able to break the political stalemate.However, there are two factors that could decisively and unpredictably alter the political equation: an outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, known as coronavirus, and a large-scale war conflict in Gaza.In relation to the coronavirus, the Government seems to have preferred to act with formidable zeal, to the point of restricting the entry of visitors from Southeast Asian countries, such as China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand. This is a decision that has created tension between the Ministry of Health and the Foreign Ministry. Foreign Ministry officials, concerned about the drastic decision, suggested that the measure could have irreparable negative consequences for long-term bilateral relations.With respect to the Gaza Strip, the Government has sought to forge a kind of modus vivendi with the sovereign there, that is, with the Islamist movement Hamas, through the mediations of Egypt and Qatar, two Arab countries whose relations between them are little less than hostile. Cairo, which de facto controls Gaza’s only exit to the outside, applies a carrot and stick policy towards Hamas. Instead, Doha distributes bags of carrots, as long as Jerusalem allows it.To this complicated triangular relationship of love-hate must be added the growth of the influence of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which acts as a “spoiler.” For many commentators, the JIP operates under the blind eye of Hamas, allowing the group to punish Israel without having to expose itself.On the other hand, Channel 12 analyst Ehud Yaari believes that Islamic Jihad should not be seen as a standard Palestinian group but as “what they really are: another militia that acts in the name and under orders of Iran, like their counterparts.” in Iraq and Syria.”Yaari maintains that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are attacking each other like a cat and a dog, and that the latter wants a share of the profits that enter the Strip through Qatar, torpedoing the agreements that Israel and Hamas are trying to forge, at the request of Iran. , and harm Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the polls because he has been the one who has been pushing for sanctions against the Iranian regime.Post navigation
