Why So Many Elections in Israel?

Casting a vote in Israeli national elections – putting a ballot in a polling station box

The “Never Netanyahu” Parties

The “anyone-but-Netanyahu” parties are comprised of the outgoing coalition. The incredibly unlikely union of eight parties, ranging ideologically from conservative, to center, to liberal, plus an Arab party united simply to get past the gridlock of three consecutive inconclusive elections and years of an interim government that couldn’t address important domestic issues.

These party leaders did what never had been done in the history of modern Israel. Although coming from all the different streams of ideology, they put aside most of their platforms and humbly agreed to work together so the Israeli people could have a real government. The coalition was told it wouldn’t last a week. The coalition lasted a year. These same eight parties may attempt to reconstruct the same coalition.

There is a Future: Led by present Interim Prime Minister, Yair Lapid. Centrist Liberal party. Good, charismatic personality, honest and hard-working. Advocates a two-state solution but emphasizes it must be a peace that will lead to security, not peace that will destabilize the Middle East. Aims to advance women’s issues for high-level working positions in business and politics. Has been accused of working against Jewish believers as well as quietly collaborating with some.

National Unity Party: Headed by interim Minister of Defense, General Benny Gantz. Center-Right party. Some of his party members would be tolerant of Messianic Jews, and others not. Views Israel as the nation-state for the Jewish people. If both Netanyahu and Lapid are unable to form a government of 61, Gantz will offer himself as an alternative.

Jewish Home: Headed by Ayelet Shaked. Very right-wing but left Netanyahu’s party and joined the most recent “never-Netanyahu coalition” as former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s right-hand assistant. She is now being punished by right-wingers for leaving Netanyahu and joining a coalition with an Arab party. Her party may not pass the 3.25% threshold of votes, and if it doesn’t, the votes she does get will be spread across all the other parties. The question is what will Netanyahu do if she can offer the crucial 61st seat in a coalition?

Israel Our Home: Headed by Avigdor Liberman, who is originally from Moldova. Secular nationalist right-wing. Pro-Land. Tolerant of Messianic Jews, but outspoken against rabbinical religious sects who demand disproportionate funding for their communities. He was Minister of Finance in the last government and diverted much of the funding to many other critical areas that, in the past, had been dished out to non-working ultra-Orthodox.

In the next Knesset, Liberman said the first bill he would push would be to make it harder to topple a government. Israeli governments succeed or fail by a majority of 61 lawmakers in the 120-seat Knesset. Liberman proposed a 90-vote majority to topple a government in its first two years. He said that when you promise two years of political stability, the citizens of Israel profit.

Maintaining political stability in Israel is critical. This country has had 36 governments in its 74 years. Though Liberman has a sketchy record in other areas, this is the kind of creative out-of-the-box solutions one could appreciate about him.

Labor Party: Ultra-idealistic center-left social democratic and Zionist, tolerant of Messianic Jews. Supports a mixed economy of capitalism with strong social welfare programs. Supports same-sex marriage, legalization of cannabis, advancing surrogacy rights for gay couples, and some public transportation on Shabbat (which is good for believers who need it to get to their congregation’s services on the Sabbath).

Labor supports a two-state solution and the creation of an independent, demilitarized Palestinian state—while supporting Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.

Meretz: Left-wing; wants a peace agreement with Palestinians, peace with Arabs; Jerusalem to be two capitals for Israel and Palestinians; actively promotes LGBTQ; tolerant of Messianic Jews. (What a mixture!)

Ra’am: Leader is Mansour Abbas, who made history as the first Arab party to join a governing coalition last year. He was able to work with the Jewish parties when he said, “I recognize Israel as a Jewish state!” All the more surprising because he is a religious Arab from the Muslim Brotherhood. Because of his religious beliefs, he kept the liberal parties of the recent coalition from pushing LGBTQ agendas, because they respected Islam’s conservative values. Refused to cooperate with the coalition until Israel ceased trying to move Bedouin squatters from public land in the south. As an Arab, he wouldn’t oppose Messianic Jews.

Arab parties that have never served in a governing coalition:

Balad, Hadash and Ta’al are three parties who sometimes join together to pass the 3.25% threshold and then separate once elected. They are voted in by primarily middle-class and secular Arabs along with far-left Jewish voters. Due to their support of the “return” of millions of Palestinian Arabs into Israel proper, as well as the forming of a Palestinian State and refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state—no parties in the center or right will even consider them for a coalition.

Possibilities and Rumors

Israelis go to the polls for round five since 2019, skeptical but hopeful that it resolves the current gridlock. Technically speaking, Israel’s Knesset has not completed a four-year term since 1996. But the issue is only getting worse as the last four elections have offered up only a limping and short-lived coalition, at best.

There is a very real possibility that no one will be able to form a new government this time around. If so, we will then prepare for a sixth election costing millions of shekels, with no assurance it will be successful.

Rumors that if this election does not produce a ruling government, Likud members would probably be forced to oust Netanyahu, as it is widely believed if he were out of the Likud party, Knesset members would quickly form a government. November is the crucial time of coalition negotiations, and the prayers of righteous men and women are promised to avail much. It’s time to PRAY for God to establish a government in Israel for His glory!