Critics on both the right and left have condemned Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for different reasons. On the right, he is criticized for including an Arab party in the coalition, which some say has weakened the state's ability to police Israel's Arab minority. On the left, Bennett is criticized for making small gestures towards Palestinians while ruling out peace talks or the formation of a Palestinian state, leading to increased despair and violence. Bennett's coalition, made up of a diverse range of parties, has struggled to respond to the recent attacks by Arab citizens of Israel. Despite efforts to bridge their differences, the violence has highlighted the ideological gaps within the coalition. The attacks serve as a stark reminder that the Palestinian issue remains unresolved and a potential source of conflict. Bennett, similar to Netanyahu before him, has chosen to prioritize other issues over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, seeing it as a problem to be managed rather than solved. Peace negotiations stalled in 2014, with Palestinian leaders unable to present a united front and key Israeli figures like Bennett openly opposing a Palestinian state. However, recent violence has forced some Israelis to recognize the instability of the current situation, though this realization has only solidified existing viewpoints on the conflict. Ofer Zalzberg, director of the Middle East Program at the Herbert C Kelman Institute, described the conversation as stale with few new arguments. He stated that people do not change their opinions based on current events but rather based on their existing beliefs. Some witnesses and survivors of the recent shootings in Bnei Brak believe that the attack by a West Bank Palestinian reinforces the idea that Israel does not have a peace partner among the Palestinians and that a Palestinian state would only increase the danger for Israelis. Despite Bennett also opposing Palestinian sovereignty, he faced criticism for his alliance with Ra’am and for issuing more work permits to Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank. Posters urging residents not to hire Palestinian workers have appeared in the city, with one sign near a memorial demanding Bennett's resignation. In neighboring cities, one mayor closed construction sites that typically employed Palestinians, while another urged contractors not to hire them. Moshe Waldman, an accountant in Bnei Brak who witnessed part of the attack, believes that harsh punishment should be imposed on the families of terrorists. He suggests destroying their homes as a form of real deterrence. Waldman criticizes the idea of negotiating with terrorists, stating that it is not a realistic approach in the current situation. Some criticize Bennett for being too close to Arab Israelis and making too many concessions to Palestinians, while others fault him for not doing enough. The Israeli government has granted legal status to West Bank Palestinians and provided financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority. Critics argue that Bennett's approach of "shrinking the conflict" does not address the fundamental issues of Palestinian life under occupation, as the Israeli army still conducts raids in Palestinian areas and there is a two-tier justice system in the West Bank. The dream of Palestinians for statehood remains as far away as ever, according to Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst for the International Crisis Group. Zonszein believes there is a sense of hopelessness and no clear political solution on the Palestinian front. Israelis have grown accustomed to the status quo without facing consequences, but the lack of a political process could lead to increased violence. In the meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Bennett must focus on enhancing security and addressing the concerns of his right-wing supporters without exacerbating tensions or alienating Arab lawmakers in his coalition. The Israeli army has deployed additional troops to the West Bank and Gaza border, while the police have shifted their focus to counterterrorism efforts. Bennett has suggested that Israeli civilians should carry licensed firearms, a proposal that has worried many Arab citizens of Israel, according to Bashaer Fahoum-Jayoussi, co-chair of the board of the Abraham Initiatives. She described this as a concerning call for citizens to be armed, which could exacerbate the increase in hate speech against the Arab community in Israel. In an effort to ease tensions, Bennett has praised his Arab coalition partner, Mansour Abbas, and the government still permits tens of thousands of Palestinians to enter Israel from the West Bank and Gaza daily. There has been no change in the plan to allow retirees from the West Bank to enter Jerusalem during Ramadan, which begins this weekend. Bennett's office did not provide a comment for this article, but one of his close allies, Micah Goodman, a philosopher who introduced the concept of "shrinking the conflict," stated that it is too early to determine the success of the government's approach in the West Bank and Israel. Goodman believes that achieving the two main aspects of his idea - gradual liberation of Palestinians in the West Bank and gradual integration of Palestinians in Israel - will take years, not months. He also mentioned that fear is the dominant emotion for Israelis in the conflict, while humiliation is the primary emotion for Palestinians. Reducing the conflict involves reducing fear for Israelis due to less terrorism and reducing humiliation for Palestinians due to less occupation. This process cannot be accurately assessed within nine months of the current government. If the current wave of violence decreases soon, it could show the effectiveness of the Bennett government's approach. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack in Bnei Brak, which Israeli officials saw as a result of increased engagement with him. If the violence decreases, it may highlight the PA as a valuable partner in combating Israel's enemies and create more political space for empowering the PA, although it falls short of full Palestinian statehood. However, some believe that these incremental measures do not alleviate the occupation but instead provide political cover for its reinforcement through the growth of settlements and settler violence. She stated that the occupation is still continuing and the situation is deteriorating steadily.