ERETZ

A

pparently in Israel, the fifth time is
the charm. After repeated attempts
by the opposition, by defectors
from his own right-wing bloc, by the pros-
ecution and the Supreme Court to prevent
embattled former Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu from ruling, the electorate final-
ly ended Israel’s protracted
political deadlock by voting
overwhelmingly in favor of
Netanyahu and his natural —
and loyal — right-wing allies.
Netanyahu’s bloc will appar-
entlly surge to 64 or more
seats in the 120-member
Knesset. The number rep-
resents a stable parliamentary majority. By
contrast, Israel’s left-wing collapsed to barely
45 seats — a massive 19-seat gap between
the right-wing and left-wing blocs. Parties
comprising the outgoing coalition secured
only 50 Knesset mandates this time around,
including an Arab party affiliated with the
Muslim Brotherhood.
Even if the distribution of mandates shifts
slightly as the final votes are counted, the
results are clear: Netanyahu is returning to
power for a third stretch as head of govern-
ment, after a year in the opposition.
The vote was a national referendum on

the fitness of Netanyahu — Israel’s lon-
gest-serving prime minister — as the man
best suited for the top job. It was also a ref-
erendum on the tremendous damage caused
cycle after election cycle by opposing parlia-
mentarians who conspired to block the peo-
ple’s choice from serving as prime minister.
In a major surprise, turnout was the high-
est in years. Many had said that Israelis were
growing tired of going to the polls each year
and might boycott the voting booths. On the
contrary, Israelis embraced their hyper-de-
mocracy and voted overwhelmingly to
return stability to the electoral system. And
the voters proved once again that Israel is a
traditional, center-right country.

NETANYAHU’S SUPPORT
Despite all the efforts to oust him, it is now
clear that Netanyahu has not lost any sup-
port across five consecutive elections. And
now, the right-wing government he is poised
to assemble represents the most stable align-
ment he has ever secured. There is virtually
zero chance that Netanyahu will attempt to
move toward a so-called unity alignment
with parties that have tried to prevent him
from serving as premier. Doing so would
bring a Trojan horse and the opposition
directly into his cabinet. Stability depends on

forming an alliance with parties that actually
support Netanyahu’s candidacy.
The Religious Zionist Party, and Orthodox
parties Shas and United Torah Judaism, are
each expected to recommend Netanyahu as
prime minister when President Isaac Herzog
begins consultations with party leaders.
Netanyahu should have little trouble negoti-
ating coalition agreements and distributing
cabinet portfolios. With only four parties
in the coalition, there will be more than
enough ministries to apportion among the
ideologically aligned allies.
After securing more than twice as many
Knesset mandates as any other party in the
alignment, Netanyahu’s Likud will likely hold
the most senior cabinet offices, including the
coveted Defense and Foreign ministry posts.
Having 100% of the cabinet ministries
headed by members of Israel’s right-wing
will produce an unprecedented era in the
state’s history. The outgoing alignment, led
by alternate prime ministers Naftali Bennett
and Yair Lapid, brought the left wing from
the backbenches of the opposition into the
key government ministries, where many
introduced progressive agendas that chal-
lenge the fabric of Israel as a traditional
Jewish state and an emerging regional super-
power.

Despite Efforts
to Oust Him,
Vote Affirms
Netanyahu is
Popular Choice
for Top Job

Alex Traiman
Columnist
JNS.org

44 | NOVEMBER 10 • 2022

ANALYSIS/OPINION

Benjamin Netanyahu is
seen during a morning
walk the morning after
the Israeli general
elections on Nov. 2.

YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90 VIA JTA