After America's midterms, the clock is ticking for Israel to bridge its political divides

The Jerusalem Post · HERB KEINON · 2026-11-06 11:47 UTC

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: As hostility grows on the American Left and Right, prolonged coalition negotiations and the prospect of another election carry a strategic cost.

A week ago Tuesday night, when it became clear that the Israeli elections had produced an inconclusive result, one scenario discussed was that a national crisis could spur Israel’s politicians to form some kind of unity government.

The national crisis on most people’s minds was, of course, renewed fighting with Iran. Perhaps that could prod Naftali Bennett and Gadi Eisenkot, if not Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman, to put aside their enmity toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and form a centrist Zionist government.

On broad security issues, the difference between the parties those leaders represent is about the same as the difference, in an ice cream shop, between ordering chocolate, chocolate fudge, or Swiss chocolate fudge. In short, not much.

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