Palestine weekly: Israeli politicians vie to look toughest before election

What the report says

Israel’s election campaign is entering its final stretch amid heightened tensions, according to Al Jazeera, with leading politicians using hard-line gestures and security rhetoric to appeal to voters. The article says ministers took part in an illegal settlement launch in the occupied West Bank, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich used public statements and videos to project toughness ahead of the vote.

Al Jazeera reported that on September 23, officials attended a ceremony for Metzoke Eretz, a new settlement in the occupied West Bank that was legalized by Israel even though it remains illegal under international law. The piece also described continuing demolitions in Palestinian areas such as Masafer Yatta, including the destruction of homes in Jinba, and said Israeli authorities imposed holiday-related closures and checkpoints across the West Bank during Sukkot and the Jewish festival period.

The report further said movement was restricted in and around East Jerusalem, where settler visits to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound increased. It also described violence by settlers against Palestinians, including attacks on people, water and electricity infrastructure, and the uprooting or destruction of olive groves during the harvest season.

In Gaza, Al Jazeera said killings continued despite what it called a ceasefire, with drone strikes and other attacks reported in several areas. The article added that humanitarian and economic conditions remain severe, citing damaged infrastructure, aid restrictions and a UNCTAD assessment that most of Gaza’s economic establishments have been damaged or destroyed. The broader context is that Israeli politics, settlement expansion and the war in Gaza remain tightly linked in the run-up to the election.