Israel’s divided government collapsed early Wednesday (December 22), triggering the country’s fourth election in under two years and bringing an unprecedented threat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lengthy grip on power.
Netanyahu, who is used to labelling his opponents as weak leftists, finds himself confronted by a trio of disgruntled former aides who share his hardline ideology, led by a popular lawmaker who recently broke away from the prime minister’s Likud party.
Whether Netanyahu can fend off these challenges or not, the country is almost certain to be led by a right-wing politician opposed to concessions to the Palestinians, complicating hopes of the incoming Biden administration to restart peace talks.
The prospects of Israel’s center-left bloc appear worse than in previous contests because its leader, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, entered into the ill-fated alliance with Netanyahu. Gantz has lost the support of much of his disappointed base, and the bloc has been left leaderless.
