Israeli opposition leaders Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid have teamed up to defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the next election, due before the end of October. They want to take power by promising to “rehabilitate” Israel’s global image. But they’re not promising to change the policies that got Israel isolated in the first place—like the wars in Gaza and the West Bank, which have drawn global condemnation. The war in Gaza alone has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians so far. That’s according to Gaza’s health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between fighters and civilians in its counts. Israel says it’s targeting Hamas fighters, but the death toll has made the country more unpopular worldwide than at any time in its history. Polls show most countries now view Israel as a bigger threat to global security than Russia or even Iran. In April, Bennett launched his campaign by promising voters “an era of correction.” He said it would bring in “professionals” who “think only of the good of Israel.” But Bennett himself led a government that kept the same hardline policies Netanyahu used. He even expanded settlements in the West Bank during his 2021-2022 term as prime minister. Lapid, his coalition partner, served as foreign minister under Netanyahu. During his time, he pushed for deeper ties with Arab states—part of Netanyahu’s strategy to bypass Palestinian issues. That strategy worked for a while. Israel signed normalization deals with several Arab countries under the so-called Abraham Accords. But the Gaza war has erased that progress. The International Court of Justice is now weighing whether Israel’s actions in Gaza violate the Genocide Convention. South Africa’s case against Israel is moving forward, and even Israel’s closest allies, like Germany, have expressed deep concerns. Bennett and Lapid’s plan relies on the idea that a new face in charge can soften Israel’s image without changing its actions. But history suggests that’s not how it works. When Lapid was prime minister in 2022, he kept the same military policies as Netanyahu. He even launched a major operation in Jenin, a Palestinian city in the West Bank, just months before elections. That didn’t stop Israel’s international isolation—it deepened it. The same thing happened under Bennett. His government approved more settlement building, which the UN and human rights groups call illegal under international law. The settlements are a major sticking point for countries that might otherwise support Israel. ## Netanyahu’s legacy of isolation Netanyahu has been prime minister for most of the last 15 years. His government’s policies—like the expansion of settlements, repeated wars in Gaza, and a blockade on the territory—have made Israel increasingly isolated. The war in Gaza, which started after Hamas’s October 7 attack, has turned the tide. Even Israel’s traditional allies in Europe are now openly criticizing its actions. Spain, Ireland, and Norway have just recognized a Palestinian state, a move Netanyahu called “rewarding terrorism.” That recognition is partly a response to the devastation in Gaza. The war has left most of the territory in ruins, with hospitals, schools, and homes destroyed. More than 70% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, according to the UN. The humanitarian crisis is so severe that even Israel’s closest ally, the US, has started to question its tactics. President Joe Biden has threatened to withhold some military aid if Israel doesn’t change its approach in Rafah, a southern Gaza city where thousands of Palestinians are trapped. ## Can Bennett and Lapid really change things? Bennett and Lapid say they can fix Israel’s global image by focusing on “professional” leadership. But their records suggest they won’t shift the core policies that caused the isolation. Bennett is a former settler leader who opposes Palestinian statehood. Lapid, while slightly more moderate, still supports the blockade on Gaza and the expansion of settlements. Their coalition agreement with Netanyahu’s Likud party includes a clause that blocks any moves toward Palestinian statehood. That means even if they win, they won’t change the policies that have made Israel a pariah. The real question is whether Israel’s allies will accept that. The US and EU have already started to distance themselves. The EU is reviewing its trade deal with Israel, and several European countries have recalled their ambassadors for consultations. Israel’s economy is feeling the pinch. Foreign investment has dropped, and tourism has plummeted. Even tech companies, a bright spot in Israel’s economy, are warning that the country’s image is hurting its ability to attract talent. Bennett and Lapid’s gamble is that they can sell Israel as a stable, professional government while keeping its hardline policies. But if their past is any indication, that won’t be enough to win back the world. The world’s patience with Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is wearing thin. The question now is whether Bennett and Lapid can convince the world that their version of Israel is worth supporting—or if they’re just offering a different face for the same old policies.

What You Need to Know

  • Source: Al Jazeera
  • Published: May 17, 2026 at 07:20 UTC
  • Category: World
  • Topics: #aljazeera · #world-news · #middle-east · #war · #conflict · #could

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Curated by GlobalBR News · May 17, 2026

🇧🇷 Resumo em Português

A recente escalada de tensões entre Israel e a comunidade internacional chega ao seu ponto mais crítico, com a oposição israelense prometendo reformas que, no entanto, mantêm políticas duras que só aprofundam o isolamento global do país. Em meio a protestos massivos e condenações unânimes em fóruns como a ONU, o cenário político israelense se prepara para eleições que prometem ser um divisor de águas — mas que, segundo analistas, podem não romper com o ciclo de conflitos e isolamento.

O Brasil, que historicamente busca um equilíbrio entre suas relações com Israel e a defesa dos direitos palestinos, assiste a essa dinâmica com crescente preocupação. A posição brasileira no cenário internacional, especialmente em órgãos como o Conselho de Direitos Humanos da ONU, tem sido de cobrança por soluções pacíficas e respeito ao direito internacional. Para os leitores de língua portuguesa, a questão ganha ainda mais relevância quando se considera o impacto humanitário em Gaza e a crescente onda de antissemitismo e islamofobia em todo o mundo, fenômenos que o Brasil busca combater internamente e externamente.

Ainda não está claro se as mudanças prometidas pela oposição israelense serão suficientes para reverter a imagem internacional do país ou se, na prática, manterão a mesma trajetória de confrontação com a comunidade global.

🇪🇸 Resumen en Español

La oposición israelí promete un giro en las urnas, aunque mantiene posturas duras que podrían agravar el aislamiento global del país. En un contexto de creciente rechazo internacional, las formaciones contrarias al gobierno de Netanyahu apuestan por vender un cambio de imagen, pero sin renunciar a medidas que, según analistas, profundizarán la brecha con sus aliados tradicionales.

El escenario es crítico: tras años de políticas expansionistas y tensiones crecientes con la comunidad internacional, Israel registra niveles récord de desaprobación. La solución que plantean sus rivales políticos pasa por ajustes cosméticos, como un manejo más “diplomático” del conflicto palestino, pero sin alterar el núcleo de su estrategia de seguridad. Para los hispanohablantes, este debate refleja la paradoja de un Estado que, pese a buscar legitimidad en Occidente, sigue anclado a decisiones que alimentan su marginalización, con consecuencias directas en la estabilidad regional y en las comunidades judías e hispanas de todo el mundo.