Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long looked on course to lose power in Israel’s election, but the race has narrowed as the vote approaches and his rivals have no clear path to power.
His government’s policies on matters of religion and state have also been unpopular among many Israelis. In the event of a stalemate, he could remain a caretaker prime minister for many months. Their new party is called Together and its messages have focused on healing a traumatised nation and getting the country back on track. His party, Israel Our Home, draws much of its support from the country’s ex-Soviet immigrant community. Parties which are not clearly aligned with either side could tip the balance in favour of Netanyahu or his rivals. Along with them are a new right-wing party called People of Israel and a centre-right party called The Reservists, both of which have been wavering in opinion polls.
Opinion polls have pointed to a sharp drop for his Likud party since the October 7 attack, which shattered Netanyahu’s security credentials. But Netanyahu, 77, is a consummate political survivor. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, 54, a right-wing former commando, former Netanyahu aide and high-tech millionaire who has joined forces with centrist former premier Yair Lapid. Their alliance, despite being on opposite ends of the political spectrum, ousted Netanyahu in a 2021 election. Former Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, 68, was once a close ally of Netanyahu. Even more hawkish than his former boss, Lieberman quit Netanyahu’s government in 2018, accusing the prime minister of being too soft on Palestinian militants in Gaza, and has become one of Netanyahu’s sharpest critics. They include Raam and the Joint List, the two parties that represent Israel’s 20% Arab minority.
He has said he wants to form a “broad national” government after the election, if he wins.
