Who were the real winners and losers of the Israeli election? On the day after the voting, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin was joined on this week’s episode of “Think Twice” by Ruthie Blum, JNS senior contributing editor, to break down the results and discuss the implications.
According to Blum, the fact that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition partners nor those of the “anyone-but-Bibi” alliance of parties led by former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, retired Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, gained a majority, creating an impasse. But the biggest winners on Oct. 27 were clearly the Arab parties, which appeared to have won a record number of Knesset seats.
Both Tobin and Blum said pressure from the left and many in the international community was on Eisenkot to join forces with the Arab parties in one way or another to topple Netanyahu. But allowing parties that are not merely anti-Zionist, but identify with Israel’s enemies to seek its destruction, into the cabinet is not merely shocking. It’s a threat to the Jewish state’s security at a time of ongoing war.
Blum said Eisenkot’s call for the IDF and the security services to thwart any efforts of the current caretaker government led by Netanyahu to continue the war against Iran and its terror auxiliaries is outrageous. It will also set up a possible conflict with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has made it clear that he wants Israel’s government to help him “finish the job” of ending the nuclear threat from Tehran.
While neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot had a clear path to a government, they agreed that the prime minister was in a stronger position—and not just because his faction won more seats.
All of Eisenkot’s options for breaking the stalemate—whether by deals with the Arabs, a unity government with Netanyahu or one with the Haredi parties—will damage him politically in the long run. Netanyahu can stand his ground and prepare to try again in new elections early next year if no government is formed. He may even do better the next time.
The prime minister’s advantage, Blum says, stems from the fact that although Likud is vilified in the liberal press in Israel and the United States, the party remains the largest because its positions on border and national security, as well as other key issues, are more in touch with the center of Israeli public opinion.
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