The MKs who will be sworn in the Knesset plenum this afternoon don't know how long they will be serving. Will the new Knesset hang on four its scheduled four years, finishing its work at the end of 2023? Or will it break a new record for the shortest Knesset and disperse itself moments after it opens, serving an even shorter time than the 21st Knesset?
The solution to the political impasse depends on the ability of the two candidates for prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, to enlist a majority of at least 61 MKs to secure the confidence of the Knesset in the government it will be representing. As of now, it appears that the petty disputes between the two biggest parties, could thwart any chances of a new government.
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The Basic Law: The Government determines that even if Netanyahu and Gantz fail to form a government, a group of 61 MKs can ask President Reuven Rivlin to assign a third MK the responsibility of forming a government.
But should that attempt fail, the president will have to inform the Knesset speaker that all efforts to form a new government have resulted in nothing, and there will be no choice but to hold an election within 90 days. In other words, the citizens of Israel would find themselves visiting the polls for the third time since April 2019.
This glum political reality would never have come to pass if Israel still elected its prime minister through a direct vote. The direct vote required voters to put two ballots in the box (one for prime minister, the second for their party of choice), and would not have allowed the situation we are seeing right now to happen, because there would be no question about who had been elected prime minister, and that candidate would be the only one who could form a coalition and secure the Knesset's confidence.
The law instituting a direct election for the prime minister was approved by the Knesset in 1992, despite opposition from then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir. It was implemented three times (in 1996, the first time Netanyahu was elected prime minister, narrowly defeating Shimon Peres; in 1999, when Ehud Barak beat Netanyahu; and in 2001, when Ariel Sharon beat Barak). The law was canceled after Sharon formed his government because there was widespread dissatisfaction with its results.
Even if Netanyahu and Gantz manage to form a joint government, which is the best solution in every aspect, or one of them can garner the support of enough factions to ensure a Knesset majority, the 22nd Knesset won't begin its legislative activity before December, because it will only start work after the Sukkot holiday and after a government is formed.
Only then will it be possible to elect a Knesset speaker and deputy Knesset speaker, assign committee chairmanships, and start the legislative process. We can only hope that these efforts will be a success and the government – and, as a result, the Knesset – can work at full power and fulfill the many jobs they have to do, rather than getting bogged down in a third election.
