Jobbik MEP Gyöngyösi: Is there a chance of Palestine – Israel peace?

Remarks from Jobbik MEP Márton Gyöngyösi:

Next to the ongoing pandemic and the many other crisis areas of the world, the international political discourse seems to have been less focused on Palestine lately. The reason is perhaps that the world has gotten tired of the decades-long and never-ending Palestinian issue which, though still unsolved, has not escalated much further. Nevertheless, I am convinced that any settlement of the major Middle East conflicts is inconceivable without a reconciliation that would guarantee both nations their own states. No matter how small an area the Israeli-Palestinian conflict affects, the symbolic significance reaches far beyond.

There are substantial obstacles on both sides in the way of a long-term settlement, as it is demonstrated by the issue of the Palestinian general elections scheduled for next month.

As it is known, Palestine has not been able to hold elections for fifteen years due to the recurring internal conflicts among the Palestinian political forces, while the mandate of the last elected representatives expired over a decade ago. Furthermore, the Israeli leadership, rather short-sightedly, prefers the Palestinian political crisis to remain unsolved, presumably on the assumption that it weakens the Palestinian positions.

There are several other obstacles in the way of the parliamentary elections scheduled for May and the presidential election to be held in the summer, too. The first obstacle is still posed by the conflicts among the Palestinian political stakeholders, since both the timely implementation or the postponement of the election may affect the outcome. Each force with a realistic chance to win wants the election to be held at the time and under the circumstances that are best for them. In such a climate of mistrust, no matter when the elections are held, the authorities will likely have a very hard time guaranteeing the fairness of the vote and resisting the pressure of the locally strong political organizations.

In addition, the Israeli side apparently shows no willingness whatsoever to allow European Union observers to work in the Palestinian areas, despite the EU’s repeated pleas to the Israeli authorities.

On the other hand, the Israeli concerns are somewhat understandable as the heated election climate may inevitably entail increasing tensions or unwanted international attention for Israel. Furthermore, many people still vividly remember Hamas’ landslide victory in 2006, and the extremist forces have a chance to do well in this election too, but you don’t need a crystal ball to realize that the current situation just expands the radicals’ voter base, which will further aggravate Israeli-Palestinian relations.

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