Yuval Ariav

Don’t despair. Remember that not a single poll showed the Zionist opposition winning a majority. The final results aren’t in, but before declaring this election a disaster, consider the good news, the bad news, and the difficult choices ahead. The good news: • The judicial coup has been halted. Fundamental constitutional changes cannot be imposed without broad consensus. • Right-wing extremists failed to gain ground and may have lost support. Their extremism likely helped drive higher Arab turnout. • The much-feared Haredi demographic advantage was nowhere to be seen, despite expectations of higher turnout given how much was at stake for their parties. • Elections were free, no parties were banned, and voting proceeded without major incidents. • An Arab party with a Zionist number two gained seats. • A clear majority voted for Zionist parties opposed to Netanyahu. • Netanyahu is 77. Even he cannot defy mortality. The bad news: • Netanyahu’s loyalists will never abandon him, regardless of the consequences. • Netanyahu will never tolerate a credible rival on the right, whether inside Likud or outside it. • Israel will have a 77-year-old prime minister who commands loyalty but not broad public trust, including of his fellow politicians, he will need to work with • A national unity government will require compromises and concessions from both sides that would have been unthinkable until recently. The imperative: A national unity government must prioritize national cohesion, economic growth, Haredi integration, and the growing diplomatic and legal threats facing Israel and Israelis. These threats may ultimately prove more consequential than the military ones. In two years, America will elect a new president. Israel cannot afford to enter that moment as divided, diplomatically isolated, and politically paralyzed as it is today. Painful concessions from both sides are better than painful concessions imposed on only one.