Political Commentary

If the polls are correct, the Right-voting public is about to vicariously elect lawmakers who will watch the historic moment presented to Israel fade away and do nothing about it.

The fact that politicians have opted for a third election goes far beyond the farcical. A country is paralyzed and shackled to a faulty system that no one can change.

With voter turnout expected to be low, highly motivated religious voters may provide PM Benjamin Netanyahu with the 61 seats he needs to form a government.

With polls showing neither the Right or Left will be able to secure a coalition, the Joint Arab List could supply a significant boost to the Left in September if it breaks its longstanding tradition of remaining outside the government. Such a deal, however, could also boost Netanyahu's chances of winning the election.

The attorney general's decision to publish a document detailing the counts on which PM Netanyahu is suspected comprised clear intervention in the democratic process by the judicial system.

The surplus vote-sharing deal Avigdor Lieberman signed with Benny Gantz has made it all too clear which side of the political map the Yisrael Beytenu chief belongs to. Luckily for Lieberman, this makes no difference whatsoever to his obedient supporters.

Both Netanyahu, who has promised to form a right-wing government, and Ayelet Shaked, who has committed to joining a government led by Netanyahu, are accusing each other of seeking to form a coalition with the Left. While Blue and White has rejected the possibility of joining a Likud-led government, Gantz's best hope may be to clinch a rotation deal with the current premier.

Most parties, including the Likud, haven't cracked the code of how to persuade the country's significant sector of Russian-speaking immigrants to support their agendas.

With Blue and White's Benny Gantz focusing his attacks mainly on Ehud Barak, who will remember that he promised not to join a Netanyahu government? And when Netanyahu designates Shaked, Bennett and Smotrich enemies of the Right, who could blame him for leaving them out of the coalition to join forces with Peretz instead?

The Yisrael Beytenu leader sends different messages depending on whether he is speaking Russian, Hebrew, or "Rightish." Don't be surprised if after the election he rushes to join a government made up of the Left and the haredim.