The imminent end of Israel’s unity government will prompt more pledges of aggressive West Bank annexations and hawkish foreign policies by pinning the country’s right-wing factions against each other in what will be a highly contentious election season. The unity government between the Blue and White party and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party will not last much longer, with the latter now pushing through a bill that would dissolve the Knesset and call new elections. On Dec. 9, the second-in-command of Netanyahu’s party, Gideon Sa’ar, also announced he would be leaving Lukid to run for prime minister under a new party he had formed called New Hope. Sa’ar’s move to directly challenge Netanyahu has further shaken up Israel’s right-wing political scene ahead of what’s likely to be a highly contentious election season, where Netanyahu’s right-wing rivals will have all the more incentive to capitalize on popular discontent with his...
