Another Israeli election is upon us. Election day in Israel, though, is only the beginning of a long process of political jockeying and deal-making in the hopes of emerging with a stable governing coalition.
It’s been quite a while since such a thing existed, and it doesn’t seem very likely that this election will yield one either. More likely, Benjamin Netanyahu will be at the head of a caretaker government awaiting yet another round of elections. Alternatively, Netanyahu or one of his rivals–Yair Lapid, Gideon Sa’ar, or Naftali Bennett–could cobble together an unstable coalition of conflicting parties that won’t last very long.
Any other scenario is probably wishful thinking. I elaborate in my latest piece for The New Arab.