国际英语新闻:News Analysis: New Israeli elections will put Israeli-Palestinian relations at stake again

RAMALLAH/GAZA, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian analysts believe that Israeli decision of holding new general elections after failing to form a coalition government, puts again the relationship between the armed Palestinian factions and Israel at stake.

Over the past weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a new coalition government despite the intensive attempts he made before the expiry of the legal ultimatum he was given, which ended on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Israeli Knesset members voted in favor of dissolving the Israeli parliament and holding new elections on September 17. It is the first time Israel holds the second election in the same year.

The current internal Israeli political tension makes Netanyahu's political future uncertain, along with other outside thorny issues on his political table, mainly the endless violence on the border with the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian analysts, who spoke to Xinhua, in separate statements, agreed that the interests of Israel prime minister are to keep the situation calm on the southern front with the Gaza Strip in order not to lose in the upcoming elections.

They believe that failing to keep calm on the southern front with the Gaza Strip, mainly stopping the weekly rallies, better known as the Great March of Return, on the border with Israel, has largely contributed to Netanyahu's failure to form a coalition government.

Husam al-Dajjanni, a Gaza-based political analyst, said that "the situation in the Gaza Strip won't change within the coming period of time," adding "Netanyahu's interest is to keep the situation in order to win more time and avoid getting engaged into a confrontation with Gaza militants and losing the elections."

"Netanyahu might be obliged to finalize a prisoners' swap deal with Islamic Hamas movement before holding the elections in order to keep a large number of votes," said the analyst, adding "the file of the prisoners' exchange could be enough to help Netanyahu gain the confidence of his voters again."

The Israeli prime minister preferred to hold the elections again on September rather than asking his rivals to form a coalition government by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. The crisis on forming a government emerged on the brink after the sharp dispute between Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman, the former Israeli minister of defence.

A'ahed Ferwana, a Gaza-based expert in Israeli affairs, said "I don't think that the decision to hold the Israeli elections will bring the situation between Gaza armed factions and Israel to a military confrontation... but all the possibilities remain open."

"I believe that in the coming period, the Palestinian factions may escalate the violent activities of the Great March of Return... on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip with Israel to exert pressure on Netanyahu to implement the calm understandings," said Ferwana.

Meanwhile, analysts believe holding new Israeli elections will cause the United States to postpone the declaration of its new peace plan, better known as the Deal of the Century, to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On Thursday, Secretary General of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee, Saeb Erekat, mocked on his Twitter page the possibility of postponing the declaration of the U.S. deal until holding the new Israeli elections saying "it is going to become the Deal of Next Century."

Hani Habib, a Gaza-based political analyst, said that "holding the elections in Israel again would certainly influence the process of declaring and implementing the U.S.-brokered Deal of the Century."

On the situation in the Gaza Strip during the coming period, Habib agreed with other analysts that it would be "somewhat calm because Netanyahu would not risk any military action against the Gaza Strip that could make him lose the next election."

"If Netanyahu continues to shirk the implementation of calm understandings with the Palestinian factions, which are sponsored by Egypt, Qatar and the UN to improve the situation in Gaza, it is expected that there will be some periods of tension but without escalating the situation into a major war," Habib said.

"Netanyahu's policy in the Gaza Strip was clear from the beginning that the understandings are for the benefit of Israel," Habib said, adding "this policy has brought him more seats in the recent elections and may be a strong factor in bringing more seats in the upcoming elections."