Last night’s election in Israel, with the highest voter turnout since 1999, was widely seen as one of the most consequential in the country’s history. The last four years in Israel have at times resembled a bizarre thriller penned by a perpetually drunk screenwriter – featuring mass unrest over an attempted judicial overhaul, the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, and a prolonged, multi-front war that never seems to end. With that in mind, many Israelis were hoping for a decisive change of course, with the battered ship of state steered towards calmer waters.

Eisenkot’s triumphant speech on Wednesday morning, with 66 per cent of the votes counted, seemed detached from reality

Eisenkot’s triumphant speech on Wednesday morning, with 66 per cent of the votes counted, seemed detached from reality

These elections were perhaps the most ideological and least personal in decades. For once, there was a well-disciplined ‘change bloc’ of various parties opposing prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But they weren’t solely anti-Bibi either. Its members had a set of tangible objectives that resonated with large sections of the public: establishing an independent state commission into the October 7 catastrophe, easing the crushing burden on reservists by ending blanket military exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men, and restoring public trust in state institutions. 

Going by the preliminary results, it seems like Israeli politics has become a game of Tetris in which most of the pieces could fit together into a functioning coalition – were it not for one awkwardly shaped block called Benjamin Netanyahu. By Wednesday morning, neither side had secured a clear majority in the 120-seat Knesset. For much of the night, the two rival camps appeared neck and neck, while the Arab parties, projected to win a historic 17 to 19 seats between them, occupied a........

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