Growing hopes among some American progressives for a post-Benjamin Netanyahu political era in "Israel" are rooted in what writer Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man described as a deeply misleading understanding of the occupation state’s broader political establishment, according to an analysis published Monday by Responsible Statecraft.
The analysis comes as "Israel" braces for a potentially pivotal election season marked by intensifying political fragmentation, mounting international pressure over the war on Gaza, and growing efforts by opposition figures to position themselves as alternatives to Netanyahu without fundamentally departing from the occupation’s long-standing policies toward Palestinians.
The political maneuvering has accelerated in recent weeks following the formation of a new electoral alliance between former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid under the banner “Together” or “Beyachad,” with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot also viewed as a possible future partner in the bloc. Recent Israeli polling has shown the Bennett-Lapid alliance trailing Netanyahu’s Likud party by only one seat in the Knesset, turning the emerging coalition into the most serious challenger to Netanyahu ahead of expected elections later this year.
The analysis argues that many supporters of "Israel" in the United States continue to portray Netanyahu as the primary driver of Israeli violence and repression against Palestinians, while ignoring decades of cross-party backing for settlement expansion, military occupation, land grabs, and the systematic subjugation of Palestinians long before Netanyahu emerged as the dominant political figure.
According to Omer-Man, expectations that Netanyahu’s departure would produce a more liberal or humane Israeli government overlook the positions held by many of his leading rivals, including Bennett, Lapid, and Eisenkot.
The piece pointed to Bennett’s recent Hebrew-language media campaign, where the former prime minister attempted to court secular Israeli voters through domestic proposals such as civil marriage and public transportation on the Jewish sabbath. Omer-Man argued, however, that Bennett’s positions on Gaza and Palestinians remain firmly rooted in expansionism and collective punishment.
The analysis cited Bennett’s opposition to large-scale humanitarian aid entering Gaza, including his declaration that a future government under his leadership "would not let hundreds of Hamas trucks to enter [Gaza] every day." Bennett has also repeatedly insisted that Gaza must remain under permanent Israeli control following the war.
Omer-Man additionally referenced Bennett’s past statements regarding Palestinians, including his 2018 remarks about Palestinian youth participating in Gaza protests, where he said: "They are not children — they are terrorists."
The article argued that Bennett’s dispute with Netanyahu centers largely on presentation and diplomatic management rather than the substance of Israeli policy, suggesting that a Bennett-led government would seek to soften "Israel’s" international image while preserving the same structures of siege, displacement, and military domination over Palestinians.
The analysis also examined Eisenkot’s role in the Israeli war cabinet established after October 2023, noting that his eventual resignation stemmed from disagreements over wartime political strategy rather than opposition to the military assault itself.
Omer-Man further pointed to recent pledges by Bennett, Lapid, and Eisenkot excluding Arab political parties from any future coalition government, describing this as further evidence that exclusionary and discriminatory political practices remain entrenched across much of the Israeli political system.
The analysis also stressed that Israeli governments preceding Netanyahu were likewise deeply implicated in policies of occupation and violence against Palestinians. Successive administrations led by figures often portrayed internationally as moderates, including Yitzhak Rabin, Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, and Ehud Olmert, oversaw settlement expansion, military incursions into Palestinian territories, prolonged sieges, and devastating wars on Gaza and Lebanon.
According to the article, while Netanyahu has become the global face of "Israel’s" current far-right order, the broader structures of occupation, blockade, dispossession, and military domination over Palestinians have been preserved across multiple Israeli governments, regardless of whether they were led by the right, center, or parties marketed abroad as liberal alternatives.