World News

With Netanyahu's fate in question, Israel poised for new election

Key Points
  • Israel headed on Wednesday toward a third national election in less than a year.
  • Neither Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party nor the centrist Blue and White party led by his main rival won enough seats in the Knesset for a governing majority in the previous two contests.
  • Both men were delegated the task of forming a coalition, but failed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the swearing-in ceremony of the 22nd Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem October 3, 2019.
Ronen Zvulun | Reuters

Israel headed on Wednesday toward a third national election in less than a year with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing the fight of his life for political survival after a criminal indictment.

After giving its preliminary approval, and barring last-minute progress in deadlocked efforts to form a new government, parliament was set to vote for its dissolution later in the day and approve a March 2 election date already agreed by the two major parties.

What had once seemed nearly impossible to many Israelis - a third visit to polling stations after inconclusive elections in April and September - carries a heavy economic price: it will be well into 2020 before a new budget is passed, which will mean months of cutbacks that will weigh on growth.

Neither Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party nor the centrist Blue and White party led by his main rival, former military chief Benny Gantz, won enough seats in the Knesset (parliament) for a governing majority in the previous two contests.

Both men were delegated the task of forming a coalition, but failed. Each has blamed the other for the impasse, in which neither could agree on the terms for a "rotating" premiership.

In the two previous national ballots, Netanyahu's opponents focused on the three corruption investigations against him that included allegations he dispensed favors to media barons in a push for more favorable media coverage.

Israel's Netanyahu fights to hang on to power in country's election
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Israel's Netanyahu fights to hang on to power in country's election