Benjamin Netanyahu, after spending 17 months in opposition, made a spectacular comeback in Tuesday’s parliamentary elections with his Likud party and its right-wing-religious allies. When nearly 93% of the votes were counted, their coalition, which includes extremist religious Zionism and ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism, is set to win 65 seats, forming a government in the 120-member Knesset. for a comfortable majority. While Likud is set to become the largest bloc with 32 seats, centre-right Yesh Atid, led by Prime Minister Yair Lapid, the architect of last year’s Netanyahu coalition, is projected to win 24 seats. Mr Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, was ousted last year when Mr Lapid and other opposition leaders formed a cross-ideological coalition of right-wing, centrist, centre-left and Arab parties . But the Naftali Bennett-led coalition government of the Yamina Party eventually collapsed, pushing the country into its fifth election since 2019. For Mr Netanyahu, who is on trial for three corruption counts, his time in opposition was an opportunity. Rebuild your right-religious base. He attacked the “weak” coalition and promised to make Israel “strong again”. The results showed that his campaign made a splash.
With a clear majority in the Knesset, Mr Netanyahu can form a stable government and pass legislation bypassing opposition pressure tactics. But his return will also raise questions about regional peace and Israel’s social stability. The “King of Israel” to his loyal supporters, he is at best a divisive leader whose commitment to a just solution to the Palestinian question remains questionable. He once said that an independent Palestinian state would not be formed under his watch. He is also known for his aggressive policies towards Iran, which has blamed Israel for a series of subversive attacks inside its territory (which Israel has not denied). While Mr Netanyahu is seen as a fundamentalist, his main coalition ally, Itamar Ben-Gwir of Religious Zionism, is on the right. Mr Ben-Gwir, who was convicted in 2007 of inciting racism and supporting a terrorist group, is a staunch opponent of the Palestinian Authority, wanting to destroy the Provisional Government in the occupied territories, and a Palestinian state. He has also attacked Arab citizens of Israel. While the governments of Messrs Netanyahu and Ben-Gavir would be a leap forward for Israel’s right wing, any leader who invests in the country’s long-term interests is justifiably prone to escalating violence in the occupied lands and social unrest inside Israel. cannot ignore.