US and Israel elections: New leaders, same policies?

Here in the Occupied West Bank, settlement expansion isn't just a far-right project. And here in the U.S., military support for Israel isn't just a Republican policy. Israel's Labour-led government is the one who began building West Bank settlements in 1967. Governments from left to right have expanded them ever since. And successive American administrations under both parties have continued supplying Israel with military aid. So as voters head to polls in both countries, the question is, how much can an election change when policies endure? In 2021, Benjamin Netanyahu lost office. The coalition replacing him included parties from across Israel's political spectrum. But in its first years, it advanced plans for more than 7,000 settlement homes. Now look at Washington. In September 2016, Barack Obama signed an agreement pledging a record $38 billion in military assistance to Israel over 10 years. Three months later, his administration allowed a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements to pass, but it never made its military aid commitment conditional on stopping settlement expansion. Then in 2019, Trump's administration said it no longer viewed Israeli settlements as violating international law. Biden reversed that position in 2024 and imposed sanctions over violence and destabilizing actions in the occupied West Bank. Trump returned in 2025 and revoked that sanctions order. And here, settlement expansion continued. Now, Netanyahu's main rival, centrist Gadi Eizenkot, opposes the government's settlement strategy. But he rejects the Palestinian state and supports strengthening existing settlements. In the U.S., candidates like Hani Chan and Abdul Al-Sayed are calling for an arms embargo on Israel. New lawmakers could challenge military funding, attach conditions, or vote to end it. But winning seats is only the first step. They would need enough support to turn those demands into law, including overcoming opposition from the president. A different majority does not automatically mean a different policy. New politicians may promise a different future, but for Palestinians that promise means little if the next government keeps taking their land.