Disastrous Government Record: The author argues that Netanyahu’s sixth government—formed with ultra-nationalist and messianic partners—has exceeded the worst expectations by attempting a judicial overhaul that weakened democratic institutions, presiding over the failures surrounding the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, and conducting prolonged multi-front wars that have left Israel internationally isolated and facing legal proceedings at the ICJ and ICC.

Electoral Dynamics and Polarization: Despite widespread public dissatisfaction reflected in opinion polls favoring opposition parties, entrenched voting blocs (ultra-Orthodox and settlers), partisan loyalty, populist messaging, and the opposition’s reluctance to form coalitions with Arab parties make a decisive anti-Netanyahu majority difficult to achieve.

Risk of Deadlock: The October 27 election could produce an inconclusive result—leading to a minority government, broken campaign promises, or yet another round of elections—amid what is expected to be one of Israel’s most toxic campaigns.

From the moment the sixth Benjamin Netanyahu government — and, one hopes, the last — was formed, the only question given its personalities, ideological platform, and overall competence was how much worse things could get. To be honest, it exceeded even the darkest expectations, and in the worst possible way. Hence, when an election was finally scheduled for Oct. 27, the announcement was welcomed by most Israelis, who have consistently expressed in opinion polls their support for parties currently in opposition.What appears straightforward in a “normal” democracy does not necessarily apply to Israel, especially after the extraordinary years since this most right-wing, extremist, and disastrous government came to power. Two defining events have profoundly transformed and polarized Israeli society, while severely damaging the country’s international image and reputation, perhaps for generations.The first originated with Netanyahu’s criminal indictments on charges of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust. Desperate to remain in power, after almost two decades as prime minister, he appears to regard the office as his entitlement, and motivated by the prospect of delaying, if not entirely derailing, his trial, Netanyahu legitimized the........

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