The lesser of two evils: Netanyahu may go, but Israel’s policies remain

Elections in Israel in early November led to Netanyahu’s term as PM coming to an end. His Likud Party has the highest number of seats in the Knesset (Parliament), but it is well short of the 61 needed to provide a majority. The proportional representation system used in the State of Israel ensures that a government can only be formed by a coalition of several parties. This election has been notable for the huge number of new Members of the Knesset.

67 MPs told President

Sixty-seven MPs told President Isaac Herzog that they favoured Eisenkot as the next Prime Minister, and only 46 Members of the Knesset endorsed Netanyahu remaining as PM. Some of Netanyahu’s former coalition allies turned against him. Eisenkot’s party, Yashar, and its allies won only 48 seats, but others who are not part of it back him to be PM because he is the only one who can replace the hated Netanyahu.

The President of Israel is the one who appoints the PM, but he can only do so if the person he appoints commands the confidence of the Knesset. President Herzog is the first president to be the son of a previous president. His father, Haim Herzog, held that office in the 1980s. Haim Herzog’s father was the Chief Rabbi of Ireland.

Eisenkot is a former general who leads the Yashar (‘upright’) party. Eisenkot is notable because he will be the first Israeli Prime Minister from a Sephardic background. The Sephardim are the Oriental Jews who dwelt in Spain, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Yemen, etc. The word ‘Sephard’ means Spain in Hebrew.

The Ashkenazim were the Northern European Jews who lived mainly in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Romania. The Ashkenazim sometimes looked down on the Sephardim, who tend to be at a lower socio-economic level than the Ashkenazim. Ashkenaz is the Hebrew word for Germany.

The election was neck and neck. The Arab Israelis voted in significant numbers. The United Arab List and the Joint List (also Arab) won 19 seats: their best-ever result. Usually, they are apathetic, saying that whatever happens in an election, they always lose. The United Arab List reviles Netanyahu and wanted him gone at all costs, even though Eisenkot is not much of an improvement.

Arabs make up 20% of the Israeli population. They often suffer racism and discrimination. Sometimes, they are not able to speak perfect Hebrew, and this is used against them. Others say that Arabs are discriminated against because they almost never serve in the Israeli Defence Forces. But this is not a problem for the privileged Haredim. Arabs in the IDF say that they are often insulted and bullied. Israel does not conscript Arabs because it does not trust them.

Likud has vowed that it will never cooperate with Arabs. Some of Yashar’s allies have excluded that as an option too.

Yashar is sworn to withstand the establishment of a Palestinian State. Moreover, it is committed to Trump’s so-called Board of Peace. This calls for the disarmament of Hamas, thereby leaving Gaza totally defenceless, and then the reconstruction of Gaza as an adjunct to Israel, while most Palestinians will be deported from there to another unnamed country.

A few Palestinians will be permitted to remain in Gaza to do menial jobs for Israelis. Yashar is seen as the lesser of two evils. It is a disgrace for Israel to have a man indicted by the International Criminal Court – Netanyahu – as its PM.

Benjamin Netanyahu remains Prime Minister in the interim. Eisenkot has invited his Likud Party to join the new coalition government. He said that he is even open to Netanyahu serving in his cabinet. In a previous cabinet, Netanyahu served as Finance Minister. It is unclear whether any of Likud will serve in a government under Eisenkot.

Netanyahu waged a racist campaign, as always. He called the Arab parties Islamists and Hamas supporters. He wants them to be second-class citizens at best. Gadi Eisenkot said that anyone may join his coalition government, subject to accepting four principles:

• Israel is a Jewish and democratic state. This is self-contradictory, as it privileges one group over another.
• Hamas is a terrorist organisation.
• The values of the Israeli Declaration of Independence.
• An end to the exemption from military service for the Haredim.

The 78-year-old Netanyahu was first appointed PM in 1994 and has served – terms as PM. He is the survivor of Israeli politics, and it is too soon to write his political obituary. He faces corruption trials. There will also be an inquiry into how the 7 October attacks were allowed to happen. The government received multiple warnings of highly suspicious activity in Gaza from the Israeli Army and from Shin Bet (internal intelligence), yet did nothing.

Did Netanyahu want the attacks to go ahead? Before October 2023, Israel was riven by massive-scale demonstrations for months. Netanyahu’s plans to reduce the power of the Supreme Court were very contentious, especially considering that the Knesset is unicameral. As soon as the conflict erupted again on 7 October, such controversies were off the agenda. Netanyahu posed as Mr Security.

That is a hard title to maintain due to the massive security failure represented by 7 October. He was able to postpone his corruption trials. He launched a war against Iran in 2025 with some success and again in 2026: the war he said he had dreamed of for 40 years. Israel is mired in this war, and the United States may well withdraw from it. Israel’s reputation around the world is worse than ever due to the Gaza genocide.

Several countries that were once friendly with Israel have recognised Palestine: this is something that Netanyahu was determined to prevent. The USA is less sympathetic to Israel than ever. Polls prove that most Americans want to reduce aid to Israel, and some want to end it entirely. Both Republicans and Democrats are now openly saying that the USA should not be so supportive of Israel.

Supporters of Netanyahu point to his successes. Hamas and Hezbollah have been largely annihilated. Israel has stolen more of Lebanon and Syria at very little cost. Iran has been enfeebled.

There are ultra-religious parties such as the Shas Party and United Torah Judaism. Between them, Shas and UTJ have 12 Members of the Knesset. These are very openly anti-Arab and anti-Muslim. Men who are Haredim (extremely religious Jews) are often full-time biblical students all their lives.

They receive welfare payments and are not obliged to do military service. Secular Jews are often irritated and say that this is unfair. Yashar has expressed its intention to reduce these welfare payments and oblige the Haredim to do military service, even if it is not the full three years like most other men.

Likud relied on Shas and United Torah Judaism and therefore allowed the exemption from military service to continue. Yashar has suggested perhaps allowing Haredi men to do some civic service, such as working in nursing homes, ambulances, the fire brigade, etc.

Israeli society is increasingly polarised. The two groups who do not have to do military service are increasing in number: Arabs and Haredim. Both have a fertility rate of 4, as opposed to 1.5 for secular Jews.

Netanyahu may well end up in jail after his trial next year. It is unclear who will then lead Likud. President Herzog will swear Gadi Eisenkot in as the new Prime Minister of Israel.