-‘Netanyahu and the Americans will try to achieve, under the pretext of peace, what they failed to achieve by war,’ Odeh says

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Arab Israeli lawmaker Ayman Odeh said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a difficult political situation and is unlikely to win the next elections, which he expects to be held in the coming months.

“I believe Netanyahu’s situation is not easy at all. He is no longer that undefeatable person. He’s achieved victories more than once, but not because of his own strength – rather, because of regional factors or (US President Donald) Trump,” Odeh, head of the Arab-Jewish Hadash-Ta’al Party, said in an interview with Anadolu.

“In the upcoming elections, it will be extremely difficult for Netanyahu to win. He will not get 60 seats; he’s far from that number,” he said.

“I believe that a portion of Arab votes is not reflected in the polls but will appear in the elections. That will make it very difficult for Netanyahu to form the next government. It’s our responsibility as Arabs to raise our voter turnout and prevent him from forming the next government,” he added.

Arab citizens make up more than 20% of Israel’s population.

Although the current Knesset’s term officially ends in late 2026, Odeh expects early elections in Israel. He revealed that talks are underway among Arab parties to unite before the polls.

“If anything increases our number of seats, we should pursue it,” he said. “Each seat isn’t just a numerical win – it's qualitative. Every seat prevents the fascist right from forming a government. There’s nothing more politically and morally right than that, especially after the crimes committed in Gaza.”

Odeh stressed that the broadest possible unity among Arab citizens is the most national demand at this stage.

Currently, four Arab parties participate in Israeli elections: the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash), the Arab Movement for Renewal (Ta’al), the National Democratic Alliance (Balad), and the United Arab List (Ra’am).

“We won’t go into the elections with three separate lists like last time,” he said. “We’re in advanced talks with Balad to run together – the Front, Balad, and the Arab Movement for Renewal. We still have differences with Ra’am, but we’re sincerely inviting them to join a unified list, as we had in the Joint List, which won 15 seats and achieved an important position.”

Early polls

Odeh said the current winter session of the Knesset, which began Monday evening, will likely be the last session before early elections.

“This is practically the last session,” he added. “Even if elections are in October 2026, the government would dissolve by May. This means this session will end by March, followed by a recess until mid-May – so, in every sense, this is the final session.”

He warned that the far-right government would use this session to push through controversial laws.

“What the most right-wing and homogeneous government in Israel’s history failed to achieve the past three years will try to accomplish now – in the West Bank, by completing the judicial coup, and by passing laws to reduce Palestinian representation in the Knesset,” he said.

Odeh said there is no principled opposition to Netanyahu’s government.

“There are several reasons for opposition, but no moral opposition,” he said. “We don’t have the luxury to reject alliances with the opposition, even though it’s distant from us. When fascism rules, the main task is to prevent its continuation.”

He noted that parties such as Labor and Meretz oppose the annexation of the occupied West Bank, which distinguishes them from the ruling coalition.

Israeli extremism

Odeh warned of a serious threat of expelling Arab citizens from Israel under far-right rule.

“We, the Arab citizens of Israel, still live with the trauma of the Nakba,” he said. “Could it happen again? Could there be a transfer? I tell you, if four factors come together, it will be a real and immediate danger: first, a government that wants it; second, security agencies that want it; third, a Jewish Israeli society that supports it; and fourth, an Arab partner willing to absorb us.”

He pointed to increasing extremism within Israel’s leadership and institutions:

“The Shin Bet is led by David Zini of the extremist Kach party, the police are led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, and settlers and the Messianics now occupy senior positions in the army. About 56% of Israeli Jews support expelling us by force, according to recent polls. All this points to an imminent threat against us.”

Odeh said preventing the continuation of this government is a national and moral duty.

“After what this government did to our Palestinian people, Arab citizens in the Galilee, the Triangle (Arab towns and villages), the Negev, and the coast must prevent it from continuing – this is moral retribution by Palestinians against those who committed crimes against their people.”

Statehood

Odeh said the main factor that stopped the Gaza war was the resilience of the Palestinian people, followed by global solidarity.

“We supported the (ceasefire) deal because it guarantees two key points: ending the war and a prisoner exchange deal,” he said. “But we knew from the start that we have lots of traps and that Netanyahu would try to obstruct the deal at every stage.”

He added that Netanyahu would likely try to undermine the deal because Clause 19 mentions the term ‘Palestinian state.’

“Netanyahu and the Americans will try to achieve, under the pretext of peace, what they failed to achieve by war – establishing a separate entity in Gaza at the expense of a Palestinian state in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem,” Odeh said.

The ceasefire deal took effect on Oct. 10 in Gaza, based on a phased plan presented by Trump. Phase one included the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

“The focus will now shift to the West Bank,” Odeh warned. “If you want proof, look at Ben-Gvir and (Finance Minister Bezalel) Smotrich’s silence – it's not normal. It likely stems from a secret side deal that Israel will try to achieve, under the umbrella of peace, what it couldn’t through war, especially in the West Bank.”

He said settlement expansion, particularly in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem, would become central in the coming months.

“Trump publicly spoke against annexation,” Odeh said, “but nothing guarantees that. Annexation could start with expanding major settlement blocs under the pretext of land swaps under the 2000 Camp David Summit and the 2008 Realignment plan, while simultaneously weakening the Palestinian Authority – the nucleus of the Palestinian state.

“This is Netanyahu’s long-term strategy,” Odeh concluded. “That’s why the West Bank will be the main target in the coming months.”