Back in power, Israel's Left finds its influence is limited

Small dovish parties that support Palestinian statehood and oppose Jewish settlements are back in Israel's government after years in the country's political wilderness - but they are finding their influence is limited

TEL AVIV, Israel -- After years in Israel’s political wilderness, small dovish parties that support Palestinian statehood and oppose Jewish settlements are back in government. But they are finding their influence is limited, with pro-settler coalition partners showing little appetite for compromise and the country's decades-long occupation churning on.

The parties are having to rein themselves in as hopes for a Palestinian state slip further away under their watch, with settlement construction booming and peace talks a distant memory. Nonetheless, the left-leaning lawmakers say their presence in the coalition is important and that the alternative is worse.

“Unfortunately, this is not the government that will sign a peace agreement with the Palestinians,” said Mossi Raz, a lawmaker from the dovish Meretz party, which is part of the coalition. “We are not a fig leaf. We are making our voices heard. But our power is meager.”

Israel's coalition government, formed in June after a lengthy political crisis, is a fractious collage of parties from across the political spectrum bound by the goal of keeping former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu out of power. The parties agreed to put aside contentious issues like the country’s 50-plus-year occupation of territories Palestinians want for their state, choosing instead to focus on less divisive issues, like the pandemic, the economy and the environment.