Dr. Abdolreza Farajirad in an interview with the website of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations commented on the continuation of unrest in the occupied territories and reasons for the people’s dissatisfaction and said: Opponents of Benjamin Netanyahu, who are not satisfied with the continuation of his premiership, have been protesting for months for various reasons.

He said one of the reasons for the demonstrations is Netanyahu’s widespread corruption and abuse of power.

Farajirad continued by pointing out that if Netanyahu is removed from power, he would be brought to justice on the charges against him, adding: That is why he is trying to refuse to go to the court under various pretexts.

Saying that Netanyahu had been widely supported by Donald Trump during his presidency, the expert noted: The Israeli prime minister was relatively confident that he could stay in power as long as there was support from Trump. Generally, Netanyahu had high hopes in Trump and the White House, and the outgoing US president also tried to keep Netanyahu in power to serve his own interests.

Referring to the coming to power of Biden in the United States, he said: Biden opposes Trump’s policies toward Netanyahu and the Palestinian issue, and domestic opposition in Israel have acknowledged this and hope that by continuing protests and escalating pressures, Netanyahu would be ousted from power and be summoned to the court.

According to the analyst, another issue that has led to the continuation of protests in the occupied territories is the issue of Coronavirus.

Farajirad continued: While more than one third of Israel’s population having been vaccinated, still the number of people suffering from coronavirus as well as the mortality rate is high.

Referring to the restrictions imposed by Netanyahu, he said: Those restrictions are aimed at preventing the Israeli economy from being hit and ending the coronavirus in the occupied territories as soon as possible, but he has not been able to satisfy the people despite implementation of such policies.

The expert on international affairs also pointed to the rise in unemployment in the occupied territories due to the coronavirus and the fact that tourism, which was very important to them, has been affected and said: Therefore, those factors have led to the increased dissatisfaction and protests in the occupied territories. At the same time, as was mentioned above, the protesters hope that with the departure of Trump and the arrival of Biden, perhaps Netanyahu would be ousted.

Farajirad also pointed out that the Zionist regime has held several elections in a short period of time and added: In each of those elections, about 50 percent of the participants voted for Benjamin Netanyahu’s party and 50 percent for the other side, and therefore the two parties were forced to form a coalition government. When the coalition government was formed in Tel Aviv, this issue became the basis for disputes, because the two sides could not work together and as a result disagreements were growing.

Asked if there was a replacement for Netanyahu, he said: There are people like Benny Gantz, the leader of the Blue and White Party, who may replace Netanyahu as prime minister in the future. Of course, Netanyahu is trying not to step down and go to the court because of his corruption cases.

In conclusion Farajirad referred to Benjamin Netanyahu’s hostile policies toward the Palestinians and the increase in the settlements during Trump’s presidency, adding: In the occupied territories, between 30 and 40 percent of the people oppose Netanyahu’s policies toward the Palestinians. Especially now that Biden has announced that he wants to work with the Palestinians, the Palestinians are hoping that there will be convergence between them and the new US administration, and that they will be able to get concessions from Israel.

He continued: It should be noted that Robert Malley who has become the head of Iran desk, is an expert on the Middle East affairs and the Palestinian issue; therefore, he will help Biden’s policies to progress to some extent in favor of the Palestinians and to shape negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and the Zionist regime. Meanwhile, the PA also hopes that during this process Netanyahu will be changed and that a government will come to power that interacts more with them than Netanyahu.