Image Credit: David Goldman/AP via The Guardian
The first election to take place in Israel since Hamas’ attacks on October 7th 2023 has been named the most voted election in Israel’s history. The results show it ended in deadlock.
Far-right candidate Ben Gvir was set to make election gains due to a shift towards the far right amongst Israeli youths. His Otzma Yehudit party won 7 seats, less than half of the 15 he had sought.
Netanyahu’s Likud party remains the largest party in the Israeli parliament and has gained more seats (53) than Yashar (48). This puts Netanyahu ahead of his rival candidate, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, by a narrow margin.
Palestinian citizens of Israel have turned out in record numbers at about 80%. As a result, the Palestinian (also known as “Arab”) parties in Israel are set to gain a record breaking number of seats, threatening the dominance of Likud in parliament. This had led some experts to note that if Eisenkot’s party and the Palestinian parties were to form a coalition, they would be able to unseat Netanyahu.
Likud has now accused the Palestinian parties of election fraud. A party spokesperson said “The elections in the State of Israel were stolen by Arab parties that support terrorism and the destruction of the Jewish state”. These claims have not been supported by evidence, and follow an apparent pattern of far-right politicians – such as Flavio Bolsonaro in Brazil – refusing to concede defeat.
The prospect of a coalition between the two parties is unlikely due to “ideological” differences. Specifically, it is seen as politicial suicide within many Israeli politicians to ally with parties controlled by Palestinian citizens of Israel. However, the formation of a coalition between Eisenkot and Arab-led parties may be the only way for him to unseat Netanyahu.