Benjamin Netanyahu may have foul-tipped his way out of elimination. Israel’s election count remains unfinished Wednesday, with neither his bloc nor Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition alliance assured of the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority. The latest count puts Netanyahu’s bloc at 53 and Eisenkot’s at 48, with military and diplomatic absentee ballots still outstanding. Eisenkot has left open an alliance with Arab-led parties, but some of his potential partners oppose it. Netanyahu has rejected that cooperation. This isn’t a government Bibi can form right now, but it’s certainly not the political funeral many expected.
There weren’t many people I followed who didn’t think this was the end. Netanyahu was desperately unpopular before October 7 because of his proposed judicial reforms, he’s still facing corruption charges, and then there’s the competency question: How did October 7 happen on his watch?
