Israeli Elections and the Convergence of Netanyahu’s Supporters in Likud
With the dissolution of the Knesset and the establishment of a new government under Yair Lapid, a new election has been initiated in Israel, marking the fifth election in recent years. For many analysts, such a development was natural and expected. The fragility of the coalition organized by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, and the unique role of Israeli Arabs, whose presence and agency in this political coalition faced serious doubts, had long predetermined such an outcome for that coalition, with only the timing of the Knesset’s dissolution being uncertain. The upcoming elections in November mark a special period of Israeli politics characterized by a unique style of parliamentary politics and preference-based elections in the occupied territories.
New Coalitions and Parties
Apart from the Likud and Labor parties and Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party, key politicians on one hand and smaller political groups on the other, engage in forming coalitions with each other before the elections, following a trend that has almost become an electoral tradition. These special currents are created for electoral purposes. Ultimately, it is these coalitions that, if they achieve the necessary threshold and can secure parliamentary seats from their electoral list in the Knesset, can play a crucial role in determining the final election outcome by joining a coalition government in the post-fragility conditions of party dominance in the results. One of the new coalitions is the alliance between Benny Gantz, the Israeli Defense Minister and leader of the Blue and White Alliance, and Gideon Sa’ar, leader of the right-wing New Hope party.
Military Figure Supporting New Hope
This coalition has recently gained the support of one of Israel’s most important military figures, Gadi Eisenkot. This coalition stands in opposition to Netanyahu. Another small coalition is the new alliance of the current government’s Minister of Communications and Minister of the Interior. This is a small coalition, and if it reaches the necessary threshold in terms of percentage of votes and gains a few seats, it is not unlikely to support a coalition led by Netanyahu, making it one of the former Prime Minister’s hopes, especially as current polls suggest that Netanyahu and his aligned groups are projected to reach 59 seats, falling short by a few seats. However, there is still a lot of time until election day. Alongside this coalition game, major parties are also considering preparing their lists.
Primary Elections
Parties must formalize a list of their candidates. Israeli citizens vote for a party, not an individual. In the election process, after counting the votes, parties that pass the necessary threshold to gain seats allocate their members to the Knesset based on the total number of seats they have obtained, in order of priority. Israeli parties usually hold primary elections to determine the list and priority of candidates across the occupied territories. Yair Lapid’s party, unlike Likud and Labor parties, does not follow this path, and the party’s central committee prepares the list.
Bibi and a List of Loyalists
The Labor Party is a shattered party in the occupied territories that no longer has its past vibrancy. Polls have long depicted the general level of support for this party among Israeli citizens as very weak. The primary elections and the process of determining the electoral list for this party were never comparable to the noise made by Netanyahu and the Likud party. About 80,000 Israeli members of the Likud party participated in the party’s internal election last Wednesday to determine the prioritized list. The announcement of results and the campaigns before the election had their own particular buzz. Loyalists and supporters of the former Prime Minister, after him, secured the subsequent ranks of priority. The figures with the most popularity were those who showed greater animosity towards the Israeli judiciary and stronger opposition to Netanyahu’s trial in corruption cases. A key figure selected in the electoral list and second after Netanyahu is Yariv Levin, a prominent figure in the Knesset and one of Netanyahu’s staunchest supporters. Subtle changes have also occurred in this list. Yuli Edelstein, the former second-ranked member and a key member of the Likud party who had rebelled against Netanyahu and once considered him and his government dangerous for Israel, faced a lack of serious support from party members who clearly sympathize with Netanyahu, placing him in a very low sixteenth position.
In line with this content, an article titled ‘The Return of Bibi’ has been published on Iran Gate.
