Israel is set to have its 5 elections within four years. As Israelis get ready to cast ballots in their fifth national election in less than four years on November 1, their longest-serving prime leader and the most influential and divisive political personality of his generation are back on the campaign trail.
The biggest number of seats in the Knesset are predicted to go to his Likud party. There won’t be a knockout victory, though, according to polls because of the corruption allegations against him and the growing backlash over his affiliation with a quickly expanding far-right party that he may rely on to create a government. It’s going to be very important to see how Netanyahu will perform in the election.
A new election? Why?
In June 2021, Lapid and Naftali Bennett, with the help of an unexpected coalition of right-wing, liberal, and Arab parties that were flimsy from the outset, put an end to Netanyahu’s historic 12-year consecutive rule. The coalition’s tenuous majority was lost to defections less than a year into its tenure. The administration dissolved parliament, which led to an election, rather than waiting for the opposition to vote them out.
Since Netanyahu, now 73, was charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three cases in 2019, Israel has been stuck in an election cycle, which he describes as a “rigged” political witch-hunt intended to keep him out of government
What are election polls saying
According to polls released on Friday, Israel’s former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu would come within one seat of a clear majority in his bid to retake office in the upcoming election, which will be the fifth in less than four years.
With the help of a coalition between his Likud party and the far-right party Religious Zionism, Netanyahu has been trying to make a comeback while facing corruption charges that he denies. If successful, this alliance could put Israel’s relations with the rest of the world to the test.
Final polls conducted four days before Israel’s election day indicate that opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc would win 60 seats in the Knesset, falling one seat shy of a majority. 56 seats go to the opposition group, led by Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
The Yesh Atid party of Prime Minister Yair Lapid receives 27 seats, while Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud receives 30 seats, according to a poll by Channel 13. With 15 members, the far-right Religious Zionism party, led by Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, is predicted to take third place in the Knesset.
With four seats each, Meretz, Hadash-Ta’al, and United Arab List are just beyond the 3.25 per cent electoral threshold. According to the poll, Labor wins 6 seats and United Torah Judaism wins 7 seats.
Netanyahu has united with ultranationalist
Netanyahu has united with ultranationalist lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir in his campaign for a record-breaking sixth term. Ben-appointment of Gvir to a Netanyahu cabinet might anger Israel’s Western friends as well as the Palestinians and Arab nations with which Israel has diplomatic ties.
If Benjamin Netanyahu regains the premiership after Israel’s election next month, it may be thanks to an ultranationalist firebrand whose romp into the mainstream has jolted voters otherwise exhausted by years of political deadlock.
That would be a significant improvement for a man found guilty in 2007 of inciting racial hatred and aiding a group that was placed on both the Israeli and American terror watchlists. Additionally, it would confirm his effectiveness in projecting a more approachable image of the far-right.
It may be credited to an ultranationalist firebrand whose ascent into the mainstream has energised Israelis who might otherwise be jaded after years of political stagnation after Israel’s election next month.
What promises Netanyahu is making?
Netanyahu. While his opponents have unified against him as a result of his prosecution on allegations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, his devoted network of fans has remained unshakeable and has been calling for the return of a strong, intelligent leader with international influence. The thought of Netanyahu returning to power is abhorrent to his detractors, who worry that he will manipulate Israel’s justice system to escape being prosecuted.
Netanyahu has been promoting his background in both economics and security. However, with little hope for a quick resumption of negotiations with the Palestinians and the collapse of international powers’ nuclear negotiations with Iran, security and diplomacy have been completely ignored. According to studies, Israelis’ main concern is rising living expenses, yet there is little variation.
The campaign has largely centred around Netanyahu with security and diplomacy issues, including conflicts with Iran, taking a back seat.
Arab voters and Israel’s election
Palestinian residents’ disillusionment with politics may play a significant role in the outcome of Israel’s election next week, where former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking reelection just one year after the first time an Arab party has served in a government.
If enough Palestinian voters come out, Arab parties might assist in forming an anti-Netanyahu alliance and help determine the government, as polls indicate the former conservative leader still lacks a majority.
One in five of Israel’s nine million residents are Arab, and the majority are descended from Palestinians who stayed newly created after the 1948 war. They have long struggled to find a political balance between their Israeli citizenship and Palestinian origin.
Despite having Israeli citizenship, some residents identify as Palestinians, while others prefer the term “Arab citizens of Israel” to underline their equal status with Jewish Israelis.
Their vote may decide the outcome. A low voter turnout might make Netanyahu’s campaign easier and give him a decisive victory. Lapid, whose departing coalition featured an Arab party for the first time in Israel’s history, may benefit from a large turnout.
Who will win the election?
Unclear. According to polls, neither Netanyahu nor his primary competitor, centrist Prime Minister Yair Lapid, is expected to win by a wide margin.
Despite polling at a standstill, Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party is expected to become the majority in parliament. The conservative Netanyahu, 73, stands on the verge of a commanding parliamentary majority with allied far-right and ultra-religious forces supporting him for premier.
Netanyahu, however, was unable to secure the rightist alliance he desired in the last four ballots.
Lapid, 58, a former TV host and finance minister, entered politics around ten years ago on the back of a social-economic protest movement. His “There is a Future” party, which is currently ranked second, has gained some ground. However, his coalition of parties.
