Israel’s settlers are winning unprecedented power from the war in Gaza

The war in Gaza has emboldened them. The coalition government of Binyamin Netanyahu depends on settler-backed parties to form a majority in parliament, giving them huge sway over the prosecution of the conflict and, some fear, a veto-power over any ceasefire. Meanwhile the fighting has accelerated the creeping influence of settlers over the army, and provided a smokescreen for further land-grabs in the West Bank. As a senior member of the government puts it: “With everyone distracted, last year by the protests over the legal reform and now by the war, we’ve done unprecedented things for the settlements.”