As Israel's far-right nears power, Palestinians feel a pang of fear

For some Palestinians, the rise of the Israeli far right can do little to make matters worse. But many fear a wave of violence.

JERUSALEM - For Jewish Israelis, this week's election of a far-right alliance has left some joyous, and d others with a sense of bewilderment and apprehension.

But for Palestinians in the occupied territories and Israel's Arab minority, it sparked a different and contradictory mix of emotions: fear, indifference and, in some cases, a sense of opportunity.

Barring a last-minute change of heart, Benjamin Netanyahu, the outgoing prime minister, will form a government with a far-right bloc whose settler leaders seek in various ways to end Palestinian autonomy in parts of the occupied West Bank, expel those they deem disloyal to Israel and to make it easier for soldiers to fire on Palestinians during t their service.

One ​​of these leaders, Itamar Ben-Gvir, until recently hung a large photo of an extremist Israeli who died hot 29 Palestinians in a West Bank mosque in 1994 on the wall of his house. He still exhibits a photo of Meir Kahane, an extremist rabbi who sought to strip Arabs of their Israeli citizenship.

For some Palestinians, the rise of the far right can hardly make matters worse for them. Israel has long operated a two-tier court system in the occupied West Bank that tries Palestinians in military courts and Israelis in civilian courts; rarely punishes violent Israeli settlers; and already mounts near-daily raids in Palestinian areas - raids that have helped make this the deadliest year in the West Bank since at least 2015.

Palestinians in West Bank are subject to movement restrictions, with almost all unable to travel to Israel by car, while neighboring settlers come and go freely. Many find it difficult to access their private land near settlements and risk being attacked when they do.

ImageVolunteers of the Jewish Power party handed out leaflets at a polling station in Nof Hagalil, Israel, on Tuesday, in front of a photo of party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir.Credit...Amit Elkayam for The New York Times

In Gaza, Palestinians live under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade that aims to stop the supply of weapons to militants, but severely restricts Gazans' ability to leave or access certain medical equipment and 3G internet.< /p>

For this reason, some even hope that the arrival of Mr. Ben-Gvir will bring an opportunity: some have long viewed the Israeli state as indistinguishable from those of Mr. Ben-Gvir, and they um...