A Decisive Win for Netanyahu in Israel The right surges in the Jewish state, leaving behind political paralysis and a rump left.
“The vote means Mr. Netanyahu will have a mandate he lacked in the final years of his previous turn as Prime Minister. That should make Israel more confident in meeting regional threats, as it remains America’s most valuable ally in the region.”
Benjamin Netanyahu has been around long enough to have done something to rankle almost every Israeli. But as his victory in Tuesday’s election shows, Israelis still trust him for the job of Prime Minister he has held twice before. In a rough neighborhood, with enemies that seek Israel’s destruction, that’s no small vote of confidence.
With nearly 90% of ballots counted, Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud Party is set to win 32 seats, up from 30 in 2021, with a path to a coalition government as large as 65. Barring a late swing, this would be a larger majority for the right in the Knesset than anyone saw coming, ending the political paralysis that has plagued the country since 2019.
This reflects important realities in Israeli politics. Mr. Netanyahu is still considered the Israeli leader best able to deal with great powers. With Russian troops in Syria, the poisoned chalice of Chinese economic engagement and an America that is hot and cold, Israel needs a strategic vision. Mr. Netanyahu has one, as he laid out recently in these pages, whereby economic and military strength lead to diplomatic success, not the other way around. The Abraham Accords with the Gulf Arabs are a vindication of that vision.
Mr. Netanyahu also benefits from keeping his eye on the threat from Iran amid the distractions, and from his record of free-market reform. As finance minister from 2003-05, Mr. Netanyahu led Israel’s transformation from a socialist economy to the “start-up nation” it is today.
Meanwhile, the Israeli left has collapsed. Its two parties, including the Labor Party that dominated for decades, received less than 7% of the vote—combined. Far-left Meretz is now likely to win no seats. The left lost credibility after the Palestinians refused to accept a state when it was offered and pocketed Gaza only to use the territory for attacks on Israeli civilians.
The left was also outflanked by centrist politicians who focused on the cost of living. Counting the center-left, led by current Prime Minister Yair Lapid, the left is still getting only 25% of the vote. The breakup of the Arab Joint List into its constituent factions also aided the right.
Shas, a Haredi party, and the Religious Zionist slate are also on track for more seats, driven by support from the once-marginalized Mizrahi Jews from Arab lands, and from voters deserted by right-winger Naftali Bennett when he joined Israel’s previous government. He had previously filled a gap between Likud and the far right. The rise of the Religious Zionists, on pace for 10% of the vote, is unsettling; its extreme ideas make it a Jewish counterpart to some Arab-Israeli parties.
Yet the outraged international press may be over-reading the result: The slate’s radical Otzma Yehudit Party attracts only around 5% of the vote, and many of its new voters disclaim its worst ideas but like its punchy Mizrahi leader, who presented a moderate face. Ninety per cent of voters didn’t choose the far right, which is more than can be said for many European countries.
The vote means Mr. Netanyahu will have a mandate he lacked in the final years of his previous turn as Prime Minister. That should make Israel more confident in meeting regional threats, as it remains America’s most valuable ally in the region.
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