The illusions shattered at the ballot box: the political reckoning and the test of democracy | Idan Maraash
The results of the elections for the 26th Knesset leave the political system without a clear decision: the national camp 53 seats, the change bloc 48, and the Arab parties 19. The author criticizes premature victory celebrations and calls for a media and political soul-searching.
Idan Maraash analyzes the results of the elections for the 26th Knesset, which according to interim data leave the political system without a clear decision. The national camp led by Benjamin Netanyahu wins 53 seats, the change bloc settles for 48 seats, and the Arab parties achieve an unprecedented achievement of 19 seats. The voter turnout, which exceeded 77%, is the highest since 2001. The article sharply criticizes the premature victory celebrations of the change bloc leaders, and especially Gadi Eisenkot's appeal to the heads of the security establishment in which he called on them to stand firm against attempts to challenge them, while casting doubt on the legitimacy of the incumbent prime minister. The author warns against undermining the chain of command and calls for a media and political soul-searching. He refers to the strengthening of the Arab parties as a national challenge and emphasizes the need to enforce Section 7A of Basic Law: The Knesset, while distinguishing between legitimate democratic representation and activity that undermines the foundations of the state.