Lisa (Glass) America!

The Israeli election results aren’t final but what’s clear is that this negotiation phase over government formation will be like no other in Israel’s history. I believe that all taboos about who joins the coalition - on the left and the right - should be rejected and the will of the Israeli people - all of its citizens - should be the guidepost for the formation of the next government.

There’s clearly a lot of confusion out there about the practical impact of yesterday’s Israeli elections. Want some honest practical analysis about it? Here’s my take: Despite the uncertainty over who the next Prime Minister will be, there is one certainty that we know to be true: Netanyahu’s majority in the Knesset is no longer and his parliamentary coalition size has dropped from a majority of 68 to a minority of 53-54. The new Knesset, which will have 66-67 seats for the non-Netanyahu opposition, will be seated imminently and can immediately begin to pass laws, elect a Knesset Speaker, create commissions, etc, while Netanyahu remains as the caretaker PM and he and Eisenkot negotiate over the prime ministership. There are a lot of commentators on this platform making sweeping generalizations about what the election means, how the Arab parties are being treated, and what the vote total implies. There are many stating that nothing at all has changed. This last point is a dramatically incorrect take and nothing could be further from the truth. The bottom line is that there will be a new Knesset run by the anti-Netanyahu majority while the negotiations proceed to see if there will be a new PM and what form a new executive branch of the government will take. Remember, almost 80% of Israelis voted in this election and the dynamism of this vote - and the changes it is ushering in - are a clear sign that Israel’s democracy is strong and vital — and capable of change.