Israeli elections on Oct. 27 produced a complex result, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition alliance, led by Gadi Eisenkot, winning enough seats in the Knesset to form a government. The opposition faces a tricky choice: attempt to form a unity government with Netanyahu, after channeling anger at the prime minister during the campaign, or partner with the Israeli-Arab parties, which performed unusually well in the election. The latter option, however, is deeply unpalatable to most of the Jewish opposition. A period of negotiations now commences, while Netanyahu remains in a caretaker position. If no governing coalition emerges, then Israel could hold new elections.Israel’s contentious election campaign centered far more on domestic issues than on debates about the Palestinians or foreign policy. Yet the outcome will reverberate across the Middle East and beyond. Israeli forces are fighting in southern Syria and southern Lebanon, the country is at war with Iran, it continues to face potential strikes from the Houthis, and the conflict with the Palestinians grinds on. We asked five experts what the election means for the region and for U.S.-Israeli relations.Read more below.Dana El Kurd Associate Professor at the University of Richmond and Senior Nonresident Fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC For Palestinians, the options range from bad to catastrophic. The Israeli opposition and Netanyahu have only “peripheral disagreements” on Palestinian rights and conditions in the territories, and every major contender supports the occupation. However, the election’s outcome and subsequent political dealmaking still matter. A Netanyahu loss would likely remove Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich from the ministries that control police, prisons, and much of the West Bank, which would provide immediate improvement in living conditions for Palestinians there. For Palestinians in Gaza, no Jewish-Israeli party even considers the prospect of self-governance, though some
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Israeli elections on Oct. 27 produced a complex result, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition alliance, led by Gadi Eisenkot, winning enough seats in the Knesset to form a government. The opposition faces a tricky choice: attempt to form a unity government with Netanyahu, after channeling anger at the prime minister during the campaign, or partner with the Israeli-Arab parties, which performed unusually well in the election. The latter option, however, is deeply unpalatable to most of the Jewish opposition. A period of negotiations now commences, while Netanyahu remains in a caretaker position. If no governing…
