1000 political lives for Netanyahu, the “terrible magician” in search of allies

Preliminary data from Israel’s parliamentary elections put veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of his rival, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot. However, Netanyahu has still not reached the number of seats needed to form a government.

After 85% of the votes were counted, Netanyahu’s Likud, together with his far-right allies and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, is projected to win 53 seats in the Knesset, which consists of 120 lawmakers.

On the other side, Eisenkot’s Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition forces are expected to secure 48 seats combined. Both leaders have announced that they will try to build coalitions to achieve a parliamentary majority.

A result expected to carry significant weight in these elections is that of the Arab-led parties. They could win 19 seats in total, a record figure that could give them a decisive role in forming the government. Despite this, almost all Jewish parties have ruled out cooperation with them.

After the official results are announced, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will hold consultations with representatives of all political forces. He will then task the leader who, in his assessment, has the best chance of securing a majority with forming the government.

This process could take several weeks. If none of the candidates manages to form a governing coalition, Israel could go to the polls again. While Netanyahu continues to lead the race, analysts are trying to explain how he has once again managed to maintain his political standing.

According to analysts, the nickname “The Magician” is linked to his ability to escape crises and build political alliances. At the same time, he has tried to control the narrative surrounding the security failure on 7 October 2023. Netanyahu has opposed a full investigation into that event and argued that Israel was at war.

Control of the political message, negotiating skills and coalition-building appear to remain the main pillars of his strategy for staying in power.