ISRAEL: NEW ELECTIONS, OLD DEADLOCK
The MED This Week newsletter provides expert analysis and informed comments on the MENA region’s most significant issues and trends. Today, we focus on Israel, where the upcoming elections have been shaped once again by the polarisation around the figure of former PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
On November the 1st, Israelis will head to the polls for the fifth time in less than four years. As the previous ones, this electoral campaign too has been shaped by the polarization around the figure of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His main opponent, current PM Yair Lapid, has scored a few political goals in the past few months, but is still lagging behind in the election polls. Coming amidst a cost of living crisis and a new wave of violence in the West Bank, this election might also signal the rise of the far-right party “Religious Zionism”, which is capitalizing on the support of many Israelis, especially among the youths. In this context, even though Arab voters may hold the key to the election, the sense of disillusion they feel towards national politics, along with the fragmentation of Arab parties, might lead to a low turnout within the community. While the race is still on, it is unclear how far this election will be decisive in pulling Israel out of the political deadlock it has been floating in for years.
Experts from the ISPI MED network focus on the upcoming Israeli elections, the fifth in less than four years.
