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In Israel, a deadlock & the difficulties of change

Given that an Eisenkot government will not lead to any major change in Israel’s foreign policy, the country will, in all likelihood, continue to find itself isolated internationally

The immediate test will lie in the aftermath of next week’s midterms.

3 min read Oct 31, 2026 06:35 AM IST First published on: Oct 31, 2026 at 06:35 AM IST

Yet again, the outcome of an election reflects the fragmented political landscape in Israel. Neither of the blocs, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his principal challenger Gadi Eisenkot, have secured the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset. Coalition negotiations could take weeks, but at least two things are already clear. One, Netanyahu has not been decisively rejected by Israel’s deeply divided electorate in the first election held since Hamas’s horrific terror attack, which the opposition had sought to turn into a referendum on security failures on his watch.…