01
Israeli politics
Israel voted, and no bloc has a majority
What happened
Final results published early Friday, October 30, give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc 53 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, well below the 68 it held at its peak in the outgoing parliament. Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc won 48. Arab-led parties won a record 19: 11 for the Joint List and 8 for Ra’am. On November 1, President Isaac Herzog told party leaders to “stop climbing trees and face reality.” He begins consultations on Wednesday, November 4, before choosing who gets the first chance to form a government.
Why it matters
Netanyahu’s opponents hold 67 seats between them, but Yashar, B’Yachad and Yisrael Beytenu have said they will not sit in a coalition with the Arab parties. The coming weeks will test whether Jewish and Arab parties can work together, or whether Israel heads toward a unity government or another election.
A question you may hear
“So who actually won?”
Sources
02
Democracy
Likud says Arab parties “stole” the election. Election officials say the results stand.
What happened
On October 28, Netanyahu’s Likud party said Arab parties had stolen the vote through bribery, threats and forgery, and asked the police and the Shin Bet to investigate. It did not make evidence public. Police arrested three activists with envelopes of cash before the polls opened and four more suspects on October 29, saying they were connected to Ra’am, which denies involvement. At the election committee’s request, the Shin Bet is also examining suspected foreign interference. On November 1, committee chair Justice Noam Sohlberg, appearing with the attorney general and the head of the Shin Bet, said that even if the suspicions are proven, they would not undermine the results as a whole.
Why it matters
Specific crimes can be investigated without casting suspicion on an entire community. The Shin Bet itself said its inquiry does not implicate a community that voted legally. How Israelis talk about Arab citizens’ votes this week says a great deal about the democracy they want.
A question you may hear
“Is Israel a democracy only for Jews?”
Sources
03
West Bank
The Hebron operation ends after 11 days
What happened
On the morning of November 2, the army withdrew from the Hebron neighborhood where the two gunmen who killed Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem on October 23 had lived. Defense Minister Israel Katz approved the withdrawal the night before. The army says it detained dozens of suspects and seized four firearms. The UN, citing Hebron’s municipality, put the number displaced at about 3,000 and said the figures are still being verified. One family returned to an apartment soldiers had occupied and found belongings strewn across the floors.
Why it matters
The Times of Israel reports that the army’s chief of staff recommended ending the operation two days after it began, and that the prime minister refused. Some people will ask whether the timing had more to do with the election than with security. You can grieve two soldiers, take the threat seriously and still ask that question.
A question you may hear
“Was the operation about security, or about the election?”
Sources
