Binyamin Netanyahu down but not quite out after Israeli election

The Irish Times · Irlanda · Prensahace 17 horas

Binyamin Netanyahu has failed to win the general election in Israel, but the formation of a new government will be complicated. In the meantime, he remains dangerous.

Down but not quite outSoon after the polls closed and vote projections pointed to a close contest between the two main Zionist blocs, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot urged Israel’s security establishment to “serve the state and the interests of Israeli citizens alone”. And he warned Netanyahu against attempting to cling to power through war.“Don’t you dare use Israel’s security for your own political gain,” he said.

As our correspondent Mark Weiss reports, the result offers Netanyahu no clear path to power. But he remains caretaker prime minister until someone succeeds in putting together a coalition that can command a majority in the Knesset.

A return to war with Iran or an escalation of Israel’s military operation in Lebanon could produce the kind of…

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