With the upcoming Israeli Knesset elections scheduled for October 27, the scenario of forming a unity government has resurfaced, amid polls indicating that both the camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Jewish opposition may fail to secure the majority needed to form a government, while simultaneously ruling out the opposition relying on Arab lawmakers to break the deadlock.
If neither camp manages to recruit 61 out of 120 members of the Knesset, Israel may find itself facing two options: returning to new elections within months, or forming a unity government including the "Likud" party led by Netanyahu and parties from the opposition. The circulating scenario excludes the far-right "Jewish Power" party led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and to a large extent the far-right "Religious Zionism" party led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in addition to "Haredi" religious and Arab parties.
For his part, Israeli President Isaac Herzog affirmed his efforts to avoid repeating elections, stating in an interview with "Yedioth Ahronoth" newspaper: "I am doing my utmost to ensure that Israel gets a stable government." He added: "I will do everything in my power to prevent the repetition of elections," warning that "Israel faces immense national challenges and cannot afford the cost of repeated election cycles."
In the same context, leader of the right-wing opposition party "Yisrael Beiteinu," Avigdor Lieberman, rejected forming a unity government with Netanyahu, stating at a conference organized by the same newspaper: "It would be a stain on future generations, and it would be a paralyzed government." He added: "Netanyahu is not interested in security or anything else, but only in power. No one who bears responsibility for a series of disasters should hold the position."
As for the opposition leader of the "Blue and White" party, Benny Gantz, he expressed support for the idea of a unity government but ruled out the participation of Arab parties and "Haredim." He said via the American company "X" platform: "After the October 7 massacre (2023), Israel cannot afford another government that relies on Arab parties or Haredi parties." Adding: "Israel needs a broad Zionist unity government."
Israeli commentator Yaron Dikil pointed out that an inconclusive election result might return Israel to the unity government model it experienced in 1984. He said this would require Netanyahu to abandon Ben Gvir and Smotrich, freeze the judicial reform plan, and agree to an independent investigation into the events of October 7, 2023, so that Gadi Eisenkot would have justification before his voters to join a government led by Netanyahu.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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