Clear Majority in Election Result

Israel might finally have a stable government – something that has eluded them since April 2019. Benjamin Netanyahu’s party and its likely coalition partners have won 64 seats, giving them a majority of 8 seats.

After what some observers describe as a ‘sleepy’ election season, this result seems to answer the question of whether Netanyahu is fit to govern in light of the corruption charges filed against him.

However, Netanyahu’s success may be largely due to others. Israelis who previously voted for the Yamina party led by Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked are said to have turned to the Religious Zionism group. That group also gained votes from younger Israelis, as well as those who are concerned about the internal security situation in Israel. There have been frequent terrorist incidents in recent months.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of one of the parties within Religious Zionism, seems to have attracted many of the votes they gained. Some have even described him as the ‘star’ of the election. But he is a controversial character with extreme right-wing views and his party, Jewish Power, is made up largely of newcomers to the Knesset.

Observers now await the outcome of coalition negotiations and note that Benjamin Netanyahu has a couple of problems with the election outcome:

1 – He finds himself on the ‘left’ of his right-wing coalition, rather than in the centre of it. So, he might want to bring in some others.

2 – Whilst 64 seats provide a more stable situation than 61, it is still a small majority and vulnerable to losing that majority if a few members of the coalition rebel.