Nov 3, former President of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu won the national election and is preparing to lead the right-wing nationalist Likud Party as they control a majority of the Israeli parliament (Knesset).
Israel has been in a political gridlock for the past three and a half years, where five national elections have been held. This consisted of the liberal parties strongly opposing Netanyahu, but conservative parties refusing to elect anyone but Netanyahu. None of the parties, a mixture of both Jewish and Arab on both sides of the spectrum, could compromise to form a coalition, thereby forming a stalemate. Both liberal and conservative coalitions have failed in this period, and Netanyahu (with the Likud Party) has failed to provide political stability in the government an upwards of four times.
Netanyahu is also currently standing trial for corruption charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Despite this, most Israelites had previously cemented their perception of Netanyahu, so the impact of the trial on the election has been minimal. If anything, the trial has strengthened support, out of respect for his ability to withstand charges and still win elections/lead a political party.
The Likud Party functions with a Defensive Realist System, which we have learned about in class. This means that they emphasize preventative policies by utilizing military power and showing consistent refusal to negotiate with surrounding countries whom the party believes to have a vendetta against Israel. This party resuming power may cause further divisions within Israel, as they emphasize the country’s Jewish identity (leading to backlash from the Arab parties and liberal Jewish parties). Netanyahu and the Likud Party have partnered with the Religious Zionism Party, which has strong anti-Arab views and have previously incited confrontations with Palestinians. The leader has strong intentions to further revoke Palestinian autonomy in the region, and will likely be put in charge of the country’s police force.
Biden called Netanyahu to commend Israel’s fair elections, and congratulate him on the victory. This is not particularly representative of the United State’s ideologies, as the world’s leader in human rights and freedom. Jewish Americans are overwhelmingly liberal and do not show support for Netanyahu. Biden may have just lost the support of millions of Jewish Americans right before the midterms.