A look at Netanyahu's policies in lead-up to election

Benjamin Netanyahu's fourth term has been marked by policies inching the country further to the right.

During the first meeting of his fourth government in 2015, the Israeli prime minister doubled down on defending Israel from its enemies. His policies and rhetoric throughout his current term took aim at the so-called "red lines" he threatened to put in place, both at home and abroad.

Last July, the Knesset passed a law that declares Israel the nation state of the Jewish people. Many believe the law was pushed through to score points ahead of the elections. It aimed to placate the right wing of the country, many of whom say Israel is a Jewish-only nation.

Afterward, Netanyahu defended this controversial Jewish nation law: "We have never determined the national rights of the Jewish people on its land in a basic law until now, when we passed the Nation-State Law." The law made Jerusalem Israel's capital, Hebrew the country's only official language, and the development of Jewish settlements of national interest.

Many defend the law saying that it protects the Jewish people from Israel's enemies. Those defenders include Netanyahu, who, before the election, claimed that expansion efforts in the Golan Heights were to curb the threat of Iran. He said: "Israel will continue to do all that's necessary to defend itself. We will continue to use all means, overt and covert, to block Iran's effort to use Syria, Lebanon and Gaza as forward bases for attacking Israel."

Similarly, in the lead up to the elections, Netanyahu pledged to annex the West Bank. The presence of pro-Palestinian groups has been a blight on the prime minister's administration, which he claims are front groups for Iran.

He also took a more hawkish stance against Iran in the lead up to the election as a result, citing their involvement in Israeli-occupied territories and Syria and pushing for stronger regional alliances to counter its perceived threat.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)