Netanyahu, chairman of the conservative Likud party and Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is expected to begin an unprecedented third term as prime minister after holding coalition talks with his religious and far-right allies to form a government. The bloc, which includes the extremist Religious Zionist party and two ultra-Orthodox parties, won a comfortable majority in Tuesday’s election, the country’s fifth in four years. “The State of Israel precedes any political thought. I wish Netanyahu success, for the sake of the people of Israel and the State of Israel,” Lapid said in a statement, adding that the prime minister had instructed his office to prepare for an “orderly transition of power.” Netanyahu was ousted from power last summer by a motley coalition that formed a so-called “government of change.” Infighting led to his downfall a year later, sending a disillusioned electorate back to the polls. As with the other four elections since 2019, this week’s poll was another referendum on Netanyahu’s fitness to govern: the 73-year-old is on trial on corruption charges, which he denies. The poll consistently predicted the pro- and anti-Netanyahu blocs would once again end up deadlocked, with the camps each holding around 60 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Exit polls on Tuesday night, however, showed the long-time leader and his allies would have a majority of 61, and their lead had extended to a comfortable 64 seats by the time the votes were counted on Thursday afternoon. The official results will be announced next Wednesday. Netanyahu will likely return to office in a few weeks, heading the most right-wing government in Israel’s history. He was able to end the four-year political crisis by persuading three small far-right parties to merge into a platform called Religious Zionists ahead of the 2021 elections, pushing them over the electoral threshold and into the Knesset. This time, the explosive popularity of Itamar Ben-Gvir, a leader of the Religious Zionists, helped the party more than double its number of seats. With 14 they will now be the third largest party in parliament and will likely receive important ministerial positions in the new government. A former follower of the banned Kach terror group, convicted of inciting racism, Ben-Gvir is advocating for changes to Israel’s legal code that could help Netanyahu avoid a conviction in his corruption trial. He has also lobbied for the expulsion of “disloyal” Palestinian citizens of Israel. Arab Israeli politician Aida Touma-Suleiman said Wednesday that Netanyahu will form a government “with fascists on his side.”
