Clinging on: On Netanyahu and the Israel elections

Benjamin Netanyahu was at the centre of Israel’s October 27 elections. For Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister, who oversaw a genocidal war in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7 attack, the election was the biggest test of his political career. For the Opposition, which promised to hold him accountable for the failures of October 7 and end the country’s “forever wars”, the election offered an opportunity to oust him from power. The results, however, sent a mixed message. With 85.6% of the votes counted, Mr. Netanyahu’s right-religious coalition has lost its majority but is still the largest bloc. His Likud party is projected to win 26 seats, while its main rival Yashar, led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, is expected to secure 21. Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism, the far-right extremist parties in Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition, demonstrated their continued strength, winning 13 seats between them. The dark horse, however, could be the Arab parties — the Joint List is projected to win 12 seats while the United Arab List (Ra’am) could secure seven seats. With neither bloc commanding a majority, the Arab parties could propel the opposition coalition to power. But the big question is whether the anti-Netanyahu coalition is ready to join hands with the Arab parties, which have historically been kept on the margins of Israel’ s power politics.

Mr. Netanyahu’s central promise has been that only he can guarantee Israel’s security. Yet, the October 7 attack took place on his watch and he has refused to take responsibility for the failures that led to it. A wanted man by the International Criminal Court, he has repeated, before and after October 7, that a Palestine state would not be formed while he is in power. His war on Gaza has killed over 70,000 Palestinians, including 20,000 children, and displaced the region’s population. Israel’s brutal occupation machinery has also expanded and tightened its control of the West Bank, while settler terrorists have unleashed violence on Palestinian households. His war on Iran has been a disaster, with global economic consequences. Mr. Netanyahu has sought to portray his wars as bold, necessary moves to protect Israel, while exploiting Israelis’ security concerns for political gain. He may not be voted out immediately, but his failure to secure a majority and the decline in his party’s popularity are significant. The Opposition should take its cue from the results and form a broad coalition with the Arab parties. It should restore accountability in governance, revisit his unchecked militarism and rebuild ties with the world. If Mr. Netanyahu continues to cling to power, it would be bad news for Israel and the region.