Will Israel enforce the truce agreements prior to election?
The fact that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a government and awaits the new election’s outcome has raised questions on whether he will implement the truce understandings with the Palestinian factions.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inability to form a new Israeli government led the Knesset to vote May 30 to dissolve itself and hold new elections. This came only two months following the April 9 election.
Netanyahu, who leads the right-wing Likud party, won the April 9 elections without, however, securing enough seats in the Knesset to form a government. This being said, he was forced to build a right-wing governing coalition. The differences he has with the other political parties, however, prevented him from doing so and made him the first prime minister-elect to fall short to form a coalition in Israel's history.
Heading toward the new Israeli election, scheduled for Sept. 17, raises questions on the fate of the truce agreement Israel and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, led by Hamas, reached.
Most recently, an Egyptian, Qatari and UN-sponsored agreement was reached May 6 between Israel and Palestinian factions, following the escalation round May 3-6 that resulted in the death of 31 Palestinians and damaged 830 housing units. It also killed four Israelis and wounded dozens in the rockets the Palestinian factions fired at southern Israel.
