Why Jerusalem momentum could generate early elections in Israel
With the start of the Knesset’s summer session and the ongoing investigations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the early election pendulum is gathering momentum.
On the night before the Knesset began its summer session, on April 29, senior members of the Likud came to the conclusion that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is cooling to the idea of calling early elections. In a conversation with Al-Monitor, one senior Likud minister said Netanyahu has finally internalized the idea that if he drags his coalition partners into an election against their will, he could very well pay a steep price for it on “the day after.” They could decide to get back at him and refuse to join his next coalition.
In this context, the Likud is also taking heed of the latest political threat facing Netanyahu. The new party being formed by independent Knesset member Orly Levy-Abekasis is soaring in the polls. It now looks like the former Yisrael Beitenu member could wind up holding the balance of power, and it is not at all certain that she would give Netanyahu her support.
According to Zionist Camp Knesset member Omer Barlev, the working assumption in his party is that a new election could be called at any given moment, so they are preparing accordingly. “This will be a session with a lot of tension and disquiet. No one knows if Netanyahu has decided to call early elections, and so the summer session could very well be the last session of the current Knesset. We are preparing for this scenario and will organize as the opposition to fight against these troublesome [proposed] laws, which can potentially result in a coalition crisis,” Barlev told Al-Monitor.
He was referring to two particularly volatile new bills, each of which could bring down the government and lead to new elections.
