The supremacists of the Religious Zionism Movement make a historical breakthrough in Parliament.
by
Finally, the majority that has escaped Benyamin Netanyahu for four years is within his reach. As the official statement of votes is broken on Wednesday, November 2 in the morning, the former fallen minister seems to hold a government. With 65 seats out of 120 (for 84 % of stripped ballots), it could return to business, at the head of a pure right alliance, where the Jewish supremacists of the religious Zionism movement cut the lion’s share (14 seats) .
Since its beginnings in the mid -1980s, Mr. Netanyahu’s political career has been given for dead too often for the account. Five elections since 2019 have not killed him, any more than his trial for corruption which has lasted since 2020. All its strength is in this art of return, its unmatched power in the campaign, at 73, its determination to risk everything. Including to open large the doors of the government to a theocratic fringe of the right, which compasses only racism and strength, for which the founding duality of Israel, “Jewish and democratic state” is only heresy. During the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, in Jerusalem, Mr. Netanyahu believed that “the people have accomplished a transformation in the last eighteen months” and judged that the voters had chosen to restore national pride, that they wanted a “strong and not weak” government.
His main competitor, the Prime Minister, Yaïr Lapid (whose party Yesh Atid obtains 24 seats), still called in the night for patience. No coalition is emerging in his favor. The anti-birthday camp is too divided. Wednesday morning, a game of Israel still hoped that a small Arab nationalist party, Balad, overthrows the trend. That it passes the bar of 3.25 % of the votes and remains at the Knesset. If the other Arab groups, weakened by their disunity, and the extreme left of Meretz also maintain themselves as announced, the majority of the right can still be erased. Arabic participation remains largely under the national average, unrivaled since 2015 (71.3 %). “This reflects the real state of an Israeli society which is heavily leaning on the ideological right, and even more the Jewish vote,” notes the specialist in polls Dahlia Scheindlin.
To reach this point, Mr. Netanyahu hugged the ranks around him. Since 2019, critical voices within its party, Likoud have slammed the door or have been purged. He solidified his “block” of allied parties, has been patiently built for two decades. He has campaigned as never before in ultraorthodox cities to compensate for the divisions of their representatives and the apathy of their flocks.
You have 68.46% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.