The election deadlock threatens to further paralyze Israel's political system as, according to polls, neither the Right nor the Left has a majority, and the sixth round of elections is already around the corner.
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The thought of the billions of shekels that go down the drain with each election round โ funds that could have been put to much better use, such as education, health, and welfare โ is mind-boggling.
After four years of elections, Israelis want a stable government.
According to a recent report, 46% of proponents of Benjamin Netanyahu would support him establishing a government with the opposing factions, the so-called "anyone but Bibi" camp, of whom 60% said they would accept a government that includes the former prime minister as well.
The conclusion, in my opinion, is clear: Israelis want unity. And this is not wishful thinking, but a very possible scenario, strategist Aviv Bushinsky says, adding that after the Nov. 1 vote, "none of the leaders are likely to keep their election promises," such as refusing to form a coalition with a particular opponent.
Bushinsky stressed that Netanyahu's approach to Prime Minister Yair Lapid is not as aggressive as that toward Defense Minister Benny Gantz and his associates. He also pointed to Netanyahu's recently published memoir, in which he speaks against Gantz and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, but not so much against Lapid. The prime minister himself said in an interview that he would not opposite sitting in a government with Netanyahu, but not if he is found guilty in his criminal trial.
According to reports, in closed talks, Netanyahu has even complimented Lapid and said that unlike former premier Naftali Bennett, who "tried to copy him and failed", Lapid is clever and smart and knows what he is doing.
As such, it won't come as a surprise if, on election night, Netanyahu's first phone call will be not to far-Right leader Itamar Ben Gvir or head of the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox Shas party Aryeh Deri, but to Lapid. Although the prime minister has vowed not to form a government with Netanyahu, he is unlikely to hang up in protest, but will most likely listen to the proposal of a rotation agreement to be prime minister for two years while Netanyahu takes care of his legal affairs. If acquitted, he will take over from Lapid after two years. If convicted, another Likud MK, who will win the primaries, will become PM.
The opportunity to join such a unity government will also be offered to the ultra-Orthodox on the right, Gantz and Avigdor Lieberman from the center, and Labor on the left, with the Religious Zionist Party and the Arab factions left out.
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