ASSESSMENTS

In Israel, Netanyahu Heads for Another Election With No Margin for Error

Jun 10, 2019 | 09:30 GMT

Israeli protesters rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 30, 2019.

Israeli protesters rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 30. Netanyahu's failure to form a coalition government has Israelis preparing for a second election this year.

(AMIR LEVY/Getty Images)

Highlights

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party will enter the Sept. 17 polls with their domestic legitimacy dented, making them more likely to take risks both domestically and internationally to persuade voters to choose them.
To bolster their security credentials and entice nationalist voters, Netanyahu will take action that could inadvertently escalate tensions with the Palestinians in the West Bank, the Iranians in Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Regardless of the new premier, the election will showcase who has the upper hand in Israel's culture wars, which has implications for future elections and social policy amid the growing population of Haredim and ultra-Orthodox communities.

Back by the prime minister's demand, Israeli elections are going for an encore. September's elections, the second snap polls of the year, will reprise many of the same themes as April's contest, as the centrists of the Blue and White party of former Israel Defense Forces chief Benny Gantz aim to topple Likud's long rule, Likud's allies squabble with one another for right-wing votes to maintain maximum leverage in future coalition talks and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries to hold together an unwieldy conservative alliance while fending off increasingly politically significant attacks by his main rival over corruption. But beyond the immediate question of who will be Israel's next prime minister, the election will once more shine a spotlight on Israel's future. At home, the victory will reveal who has the upper hand in Israel's culture wars between its increasing share of Haredi and ultra-Orthodox voters and its secular and nationalist...

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