In Israel, Elections Are Just the Beginning

Elections King of the Hill; Photo Credit: Asher Schwartz

As reported in the media, the problem (again) is that Benjamin Netanyahu does not have a clear majority of 61 MK’s to form a government. By doing simple math of Likud plus Yamina (Bennet) plus Shas plus Agudah, you arrive at just 59. That is like ending a football game with the ball just inches away from the winning touchdown; close but not close enough. However, in this game of Israeli politics (which is much more exciting than any sports event!) there is one major difference… the game is still not over!

What happens now is really quite exciting and in simple terms is called: Switching Teams! Bibi will send his top people to other “teams” in an attempt to convince at least 2 players to switch sides and join his team; i.e. – the government. While this sounds ridiculous, most experts believe that – this time – it will actually succeed. This means that candidates who bashed Bibi for the last several years as a criminal will now run to him with open arms. The same people who said he couldn’t be trusted and that Israel must have a new Prime Minister will now trust him completely and make him the Prime Minister yet again. Having fun, yet?

Unlike American politics where you really know who won and who lost, Israeli politics is so much more… uhm, so much more… so much more exciting! (yeah, that’s the word!!) You think you lost? Think again, because you actually might have won! This is the reason why no politician concedes defeat in Israel because the game is still not over! Gantz – who lost – may agree to form a unity government with Bibi, which means he really won! (I personally don’t think this will happen, but it’s possible…) Lieberman – who everybody hates – may drop his ridiculous demands and join the government – and then everybody will love him! (nah, don’t think that will happen, but it’s possible…) Orly Levi – who did worse in all 3 elections than anybody predicted – may jump ship and become a minister in the government – which will mean she did better than anybody predicted! (this is a very real possibility, by the way…) You see how exciting this is?

In any case, grab your popcorn and get ready to watch the show. I predict that somehow, some way, Israel’s political chess master; Bibi Netanyahu, will figure out a way to piece together the 61 MK’s he needs. When that happens, the game will finally end and then we can switch channels to watch another exciting game; the Final Four – Crazy Bernie, Sleepy Joe, Pocahontas and Mini Mike as they battle it out to see who will lose to Trump. And they say politics is boring???

Am Yisrael Chai!