Israel’s Netanyahu plots return to power with far right alliance
- Israel on Tuesday holds an unprecedented fifth election in less than four years with former premier Benjamin Netanyahu vying for a comeback
- Once deemed a pariah in Israel’s political arena, extreme-right leader Itamar Ben-Gvir may play a decisive role in the election
After 16 months in opposition, Benjamin Netanyahu is plotting his return as Israel’s prime minister, teaming up with the nation’s far right in a bid to replace the unwieldy coalition that removed him from office.
The path back to power for Israel’s longest-serving prime minister hinges on support from a number of once-fringe politicians who have deepened domestic strife and drawn rebukes from the US. Among them is Itamar Ben-Gvir, a 46-year-old lawyer whose support may be critical to the former premier.
Israel’s politics have been deadlocked between a pair of factions divided by their support or opposition to Netanyahu, 73. Netanyahu’s opponents are determined to prevent his return as he confronts a series of legal cases, while supporters say he’s the subject of a witch-hunt, and the only politician who can bring back stability.
Unlike in other countries holding elections, the economy has taken a back seat in Israel’s campaign, with positive growth, inflation well below the US and Europe, and a budget surplus in the year to September, due in large part to its hi-tech sector.
But many Israelis continue to struggle with the sky-high cost of living, which remains among the steepest in the OECD.
A coalition of parties called Religious Zionism, which includes Ben Gvir’s Jewish Power party, surged to third place in final polls, putting it on track to win as many as 15 seats in the 120-member Knesset, behind Netanyahu’s Likud and incumbent Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid.