The Guardian view on Israel’s elections: Netanyahu lost his mandate. If opponents unite, he’ll lose power too
His chief rival should reject the prime minister’s anti-democratic vision and work with Palestinian Israeli parties
TL;DR
- Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc lost seats in the recent Israeli election, falling below the 61 seats required for a majority.
- Palestinian Israeli parties saw a significant surge in support.
- Netanyahu's main challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, faces a choice between aligning with Netanyahu's tactics or working with Arab-led parties.
- The election campaign largely ignored the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed in Gaza but highlighted the costs of Netanyahu's policies for Israeli hostages and international support.
- Despite opposition politicians ruling out coalitions with Palestinian parties, there is a precedent for cooperation, as seen when Ra'am joined the coalition that unseated Netanyahu in 2021.
- Yair Golan criticized Netanyahu's "racist distinction between Jewish and Arab votes" and urged for equal acceptance of all citizens and votes.
- Netanyahu, as the incumbent, may hope for another election and could potentially push Donald Trump into a renewed offensive on Iran.