The third general elections held in Israel in a year have given the victory to Benjamin Netanyahu, although they do not clear the unstable political landscape in which they were called.
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The Likud, the right-wing formation led by the prime minister has been the most voted ahead of the Blue and White centrist alliance whose leader, former general Benny Gantz, has won four fewer seats. The other parties that have won seats in Parliament - up to six - have been very far from these two formations. Netanyahu aspires to unite the rightist and religious bloc in the Kneset, while Gantz seeks support from the left center eventually supported by the Arab-Israeli minority. Precisely the party that represents the latter - the Arab Joint List - has achieved a historic result since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, achieving 15 seats, consolidating itself as the third political force in the country. In any case, neither of the two blocks achieves the 61 seats necessary to obtain the absolute majority in Parliament.
The results represent a triumph for Netanyahu, who had come to these elections as a final exit not only before the political paralysis that the country is going through but as a strategy of personal survival. In just two weeks the Israeli prime minister will be prosecuted for bribery, fraud and abuse of power. A trial that can technically end your career. However, he will now be able to face the process in a somewhat different political situation from when the complaint was known and was questioned even within his own party. Netanyahu has collected the vote not only of his supporters, but also of a part of the electorate tired of the situation and who has opted for continuity.
The options that open are multiple and in this the elections have not clarified much. While Netanyahu will continue to insist on his strategy, it remains to be seen what will happen to three other important actors. In the first place, it will be decisive to decide whether the center will endure the pull of defeat or implode after the failed assault on power. That is what has been happening with the rivals of Netanyahu in recent years. We must also see the attitude that will take the fickle ultra-right Avigdor Lieberman that with its seven seats can further radicalize the Government's policy. The third actor is the Arab Joint List that from its privileged position in Parliament can become the real opposition to the expansionist project of Netanyahu. After three calls, the country can address more of the same and this in itself, even if it is bad for Israel is a victory for the Likud leader.
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