Da capo! The official results of the third Israeli election within a year are in and, once again, Netanyahu has no majority. The Knesset has 120 seats. For a parliamentarian majority, 61 votes are need. As of today, Benjamin Netanyahu can only count on the support of 58 lawmakers. The opposition leader Benny Gantz has no majority either.
According to the official, final results, the long-time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party have won 29.48% of the vote and 36 seats, ahead of Benny Gantz and his Blue and White coalition with 26.59% and 33 seats. The predominantly Arab and left-leaning Joint List comes in third with 12.61% and 15 seats. The religious-conservative Shas party won 7.7% and 9 seats. The religious conservative United Torah Judaism alliance finished fifth with 5.98% and 7 seats. The once-mighty Israeli left, Labor-Gesher-Meretz finished only sixth with 5.84% and 7 seats. The nationalist and secular Yisrael Beytenu party of the shady former Netanyahu-ally Avigdor Lieberman, who triggered the crisis by revoking his support of the prime minister, finished seventh with 5.74% of the vote and 7 seats. The right-wing Yamina alliance finished eighth with 5.25% and 6 seats. All other parties came not even close to the 3.25% electoral threshold to enter the Knesset.
Together, Likud and Blue and White would have a majority in parliament. The problem is “Bibi”. Prime Minister Netanyahu is not ready to give up his job despite being under a criminal investigation for fraud, bribery and breach of trust. The opposition is not ready to support such a politician. Hence the deadlock.
Netanyahu should have been forced out of office a long time ago. But his remaining political allies still stand by him. Some because, through free-market reforms, he has helped Israel’s economy to thrive. At the same time, his coalition moved further and further to the right. A low-point was the adoption of the controversial 2018 Nationality Bill. The bottom line is that too many voters “believe” in Bibi. At the same time, an important part of the left-leaning opposition is not very attractive for centrist voters who put their faith in the market economy rather than in Socialist experiments. Nevertheless, if Netanyahu would step aside, Likud and Blue and White could most likely form a coalition.
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The photo on this page shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photograph: US State Department. This photo is in the public domain.
Article added on March 5, 2020 at 19:42 German time.
