Israelis go to the polls on Tuesday (1) to elect members of the Knesset (Parliament in Jerusalem) for the fifth time since March 2019. According to the polls, however, the political stalemate seems likely to continue.
The electorate is almost equally divided into two blocs: those who support Benjamin Netanyahu’s return to the post of prime minister and those who want to avoid it. And according to polls, no bloc will have 61 of the 120 seats in Parliament – the minimum for a government.
Netanyahu, 73, leads the right-wing Likud, Israel’s most traditional party. He served as prime minister for 15 years, but lost the post in 2021 after eight parties from different ideologies came together to overthrow him after he was impeached in three corruption cases.
But this motley coalition led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his partner, then-Chancellor Yair Lapid, only lasted a year. Now Netanyahu wants to return but only needs 30 seats. Even if he joins ultra-Orthodox and far-right parties, he may not reach 61.
On the other side is Yair Lapid, 58, a former TV presenter in politics for a decade who has gained popularity since he rose from Bennett to prime minister in June. His party, Há Futuro, needs 25 seats. But it should not reach 61, even in coalition with leaders of the centre, the left or the Arab minority,
The campaign, which started slowly, has accelerated in recent days as religious parties have put up posters in the streets of Jerusalem and Arab formations distributed leaflets in the cities of Galilee and called for support from the Israeli left.
“Without our presence, the right-wing majority will form a government. We need you to stop them. Your vote can make a difference,” said Ahmed Tibi, one of the leaders of the Hadash-Taal Arab list. Sunday night.
arab parties
In 2020, Israeli Arab parties won a record 15 seats through a joint campaign. But this time they are competing with three separate lists: Raam (moderate Islamist), Hadash (secular) and Balad (nationalist).
In the Israeli proportional system, a list with at least four deputies must receive 3.25% of the votes to enter Parliament. If it does not reach the barrier clause, the party has no representatives in the Knesset.
Divided, the Arab parties may not reach the required minimum and may favor the victory of Netanyahu’s party and its allies.
Disappointed 29-year-old Arab Israeli Rami Abu Sharem has no intention of voting for the first time in his life.
“Crime is increasing every year. They are not investing in the education of the Arab minority, especially the Bedouin community,” he complains.
source: Noticias
