What Israel’s Election Results Mean for the Middle East and Beyond– warontherocks.com

Israeli elections on Oct. 27 produced a complex result, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition alliance, led by Gadi Eisenkot, winning enough seats in the Knesset to form a government. The opposition faces a tricky choice: attempt to form a unity government with Netanyahu, after channeling anger at the prime minister during the campaign, or partner with the Israeli-Arab parties, which performed unusually well in the election. The latter option, however, is deeply unpalatable to most of the Jewish opposition. A period of negotiations now commences, while Netanyahu remains in a caretaker position. If no governing coalition emerges, then Israel could hold new elections.Israel’s contentious election campaign centered far more on domestic issues than on debates about the Palestinians or foreign policy.