Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin (Bibi) NetanyahuMOREThe Likud party won a majority of seats in the Israeli legislature, although the party, along with its conservative allied factions, failed to secure the majority needed for a government coalition.
According to The Washington Post, the party block most likely to line up with Netanyahu won just 52 seats in the 120-member Israeli Knesset this week, just nine below the number needed to reach the majority.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s opponents have also failed to win a majority, collectively securing 57 seats, according to the Post, leaving doubts about how parties will negotiate to reach a governing coalition.
Reported by Reuters On Thursday, although political commentators initially considered an agreement between Netanyahu and the United Arab List (UAL) unlikely, some are saying the prime minister could agree to improve conditions for Israel’s 21 percent Arab minority in exchange of government support.
UAL, who has pro-Palestinian sympathies, signaled opening for such an agreement, with member UAL Waleed Taha told Israeli Army Radio in a recent interview: “Sometimes coalitions include people who don’t really like each other,” reported Reuters.
Such a move, however, is likely to face resistance from some of Netanyahu’s supporters, including the ultranationalist party Religious Zionism, which said it would stop supporting Netanyahu if he reached an agreement with UAL.
“There will be no right-wing government based on UAL. Time course. No (with UAL) inside, or outside, not by abstention, nor by some other type of (scheme), ”wrote the leader of religious Zionism Bezalel Smotrich on Facebook, according to Reuters.
The Post noted on Thursday that several visited the former defense minister Naftali Bennett, a rival of Netanyahu, to join forces with the Prime Minister.
Although Bennett did not rule out such a move, the seven seats of his Yamina party would still mean that Netanyahu would need two additional ones to reach a governing coalition.
The elections take place amid increased pressure around Netanyahu, whose popularity had increased in previous elections due to his close relationship with the former President Trump
Donald Trump’s Morning ReportThe Hill – Biden changes in obstruction Republican party tries to squeeze Biden, Democrats on the border Elaine Luria endorses McAuliffe for governor in Virginia’s Democratic primaries MORE, although the prime minister still expressed optimism amid President Biden’s harsher stance on Israeli actions in the West Bank.
This week’s election marks Israel’s fourth election in two years and was spurred on in December, when parliament missed the deadline for approving a budget. The recent elections continued to divide Israel’s political parties, with more demonstrations against Netanyahu.
Last week, tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside Netanyahu’s home, demanding an end to the leader’s 12-year rule.
The prime minister also faces an alleged corruption scandal that includes accusations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, although Netanyahu continues to deny any wrongdoing.