It looks like Israelis will, indeed, be returning to the voting booth for the third time in less than a year. On the night of Nov. 20, Blue and White Chairman Benny Gantz informed President Reuven Rivlin of his inability to cobble together a coalition in the time allotted to him. Thus, in the words of players on the political scene, the election campaign for the 23rd Knesset is just around the corner. Though the law dictates that the government mandate now go to Knesset members for 21 days — meaning that any of them can now attempt to recruit 61 signatures to form a government under his or her aegis — it is doubtful that anyone will succeed given that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gantz have already failed at the task.
The campaign for the next election is yet to get underway, but it is expected to be uglier and nastier than its predecessors. It most certainly will feature the indictments that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced Nov. 21 against Netanyahu for bribery and other corruption-related charges. The annexation of the Jordan Valley is another issue expected to top the political agenda.
