Uncertainty hovered over the outcome of Israel’s parliamentary election Wednesday, with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sworn political rivals determined to depose him apparently lacking a clear path to a governing coalition.
Deadlock in the 120-seat parliament was a real possibility a day after the election.
With about 89% of the vote counted by Wednesday morning, Netanyahu’s Likud party and its ultra-Orthodox and far-right allies fell short of a 61-seat majority — even if the Yamina party of Netanyahu ally-turned-critic Naftali Bennett were to join a Netanyahu-led government. Bennett has refused to endorse either side.
At the same time, a small Arab party emerged as a potential kingmaker on Wednesday morning after the latest count indicated it would cross the threshold to get into parliament. Like Bennett, the head of the Ra’am party, Mansour Abbas, has not ruled out joining either camp.
A fifth election also remains an option if neither camp can form a coalition. In that case, Netanyahu would remain a caretaker prime minister heading for a corruption trial and a confrontation with U.S. President Joe Biden over Iran.
The final tally of the votes cast at regular polling stations is expected later Wednesday.
But even then, much could still change under Israel’s whipsaw politics. The elections commission was still counting about 450,000 ballots from voters who cast them outside their home polling place.
The initial results showed the country as deeply divided as ever, with an array of small sectarian parties dominating the parliament.
In an address to supporters early Wednesday, a subdued Netanyahu boasted of a “great achievement” but stopped short of declaring victory. Instead, he appeared to reach out to his opponents and called for the formation of a “stable government” that would avoid another election.
“We must not under any circumstances drag the state of Israel to new elections, to a fifth election,” he said. “We must form a stable government now.”
Bennett could play an outsized role. He shares Netanyahu’s hard-line nationalist ideology and would seem to be more likely to ultimately join the prime minister. But Bennett has not ruled out joining forces with Netanyahu’s opponents.
During the campaign, Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s highly successful coronavirus vaccination drive. He moved aggressively to secure enough vaccines for Israel’s 9.3 million people, and in three months the country has inoculated some 80% of its adult population. That has enabled the government to open restaurants, stores and the airport just in time for election day.
He also tried to portray himself as a global statesman, pointing to the four diplomatic accords he reached with Arab countries last year. Those agreements were brokered by his close ally, then-President Donald Trump.
After the election results come in, attention will turn to the country’s figurehead president, Reuven Rivlin.
He will hold a series of meetings with party leaders and then choose the one he believes has the best chance of forming a government as his prime minister-designate. That could set off weeks of horse-trading.
(AP)
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12 Responses
If Netanyahu had reopened Israel borders to help עולים לרגל he surely would have merited way more סייתא דשמיא
I don’t see arabs joining Bibi at all
Netanyahu needs to cut a deal with the Arab party.
In other words, back to square one again!
What happened to the 61-seat controlling majority that Bibi had in an earlier report on YWN? Sometimes, I guess, YWN’s preferences cloud its reporting.
Moderators Note: Clearly you missed two words in the headline 24 hours ago when that was posted “EXIT POLLS”.
147 You dont know that. You are just surmising.
Serves Netanyahu right for opening borders to 900 athletes but banishing we simple Jewish folk from seeing our beloved parents & children in Israel:- Even worse than USA/Mexico border:- Shame on you Netanyahu.
My thoughts are that the Israeli public have informed the politicians four times (freakin four times!) about the composition of the country. Its time that politicians accept the facts and realize that the country is divided and that neither side has the clear majority and that we need to meet in the middle. We need to make it work somehow. If the politicians think they are not up for the job, they can leave. The failure is a failure on the part of the politicians, and they need to be called out on it. This is getting really foolish.
1. There are hundreds of thousands of double-sealed ballots (‘maatafot kfulot’) that have yet to be counted. We won’t know the final results for a while yet. If memory serves, in the past those votes (which include the IDF) trended more to the right than the overall population.
2. After all the posing, feinting and posturing is done, Netanyahu will not form a coalition with Raam.
3. If, after counting the double-sealed ballots, Netanyahu is still short of 61 seats he will only have two realistic options: (a) convince 1-2 MKs from Saar’s party to join the Likud, or (b) go to a fifth election cycle.
To the Moderators: No, I did not miss the Exit Polls reference. I am asking how an exit poll got it wrong.
Huju, that is a stupid question. Exit polls are ROUTINELY wrong. They’ve repeatedly been dramatically wrong in America and in Israel. If people had any sense they’d ignore them, and then the resources wasted producing them would be saved.
Regardless of who forms a government, are there some matters that could be addressed notwithstanding the sharp divisions between the future government and the future loyal opposition? For starters, a budget.