Table of Contents
What has happened?
- Israel’s fourth election in two years has once again failed to yield an outright winner,
- But the right-wing coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged as the largest bloc,
- Winning 59 seats in the 120-member parliament, according to the preliminary results.
What has happened?
- Israel’s parliament was dissolved last year after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fractured ruling coalition failed to pass a budget,
- Triggering the country’s fourth election in two years amid public anger over Netanyahu’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Why the parliament dissolved?
- Netanyahu and his former election rival, Defence Minister Benny Gantz,
- Established a unity government in May in the wake of three inconclusive elections held since April 2019,
- But the coalition had been inching towards collapse for weeks, undermined by mutual acrimony and mistrust.
- Under the three-year coalition deal, Netanyahu was supposed to serve as prime minister for 18 months, with Gantz taking over in November 2021.
- Gantz had demanded the government pass a budget covering 2020 and 2021, arguing Israel, and the coalition, needed stability.
- But Netanyahu refused to endorse the spending plans for 2021.
Why so many elections?
- In late 2018, Benjamin Netanyahu, veteran leader of Israel’s right-wing Likud Party, seemed to be at the peak of his powers.
- Netanyahu was about to become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.
- But he had a one-seat majority in parliament, and called a snap election for April 9, 2019.
- The immediate reason given was the vulnerability of his ruling coalition after the resignation of Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
- But many Israelis saw it as a ploy by Mr. Netanyahu to gain a renewed public mandate to ward off prosecutors who were then in the final stages of drafting charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust against him.
- Once re-elected, the theory went, Mr. Netanyahu could say an indictment was not in the national interest. He denies wrongdoing, accusing his enemies of a witch-hunt.
But did not get the majority
- No single party in Israel has ever won an outright majority in parliament, and Mr. Netanyahu failed to get enough seats.
- He struggled for weeks to put together a government.
- Then, rather than let his principal rival – former armed forces chief Benny Gantz – have a chance to form a government,
- Netanyahu triggered another election, on Sept. 17.
- Again Netanyahu fell short.
- After months of horse-trading in which Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gantz both failed to win enough support.
- And hence again election in March 2020.
Netanyahu’s corruption case?
- He has been formally charged with corruption – accusations that he denies – and is set to continue hearings next month.
- Political analysts in Israel have speculated that Netanyahu broke up the last government as he was due to hand over power to Gantz.
- They say he would rather risk another election in the hope that he can fight the charges from the powerful position of prime minister.
- Netanyahu will remain prime minister until a new government is formed after the election.
- Now 71, he first served in the post from 1996 to 1999 and has held the office since 2009.
Q) Which of the following country does not share boundary with Israel?
- Iraq
- Syria
- Jordan
- Egypt
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