The Bitter Lessons of the Israeli Elections

The Israeli elections on October 27 did not strengthen democracy, leaving the country without a majority. Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud remains the largest party, but his coalition is a minority. Gadi Eisenkot's bloc failed to unseat Netanyahu, unable to differentiate on key issues. The elections saw a historic rise in Palestinian representation, doubling their seats, yet their votes cannot combine with Jewish representatives to form a majority. Netanyahu's tactics include stigmatizing Arab parties and leveraging their exclusion to maintain power. His continued leadership threatens democratic principles, exacerbates Israel's diplomatic isolation, and heightens tensions in the region.