The elections to the 120-member Israeli Knesset which were held on October 27 were closely watched in the region. This was primarily because they were expected to indicate the support which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had among the Israeli people for the pursuit of the Iran war. Netanyahu’s Likud party along with its rightwing coalition partners went all out to woo voters to their cause but the result was fractured. It demonstrated the  political and social contentions within Israel in general and also on the Iran war.

Israeli elections are held on a proportional basis. That means that voters do not vote for particular candidates but for political parties. Generally, each party, even in a coalition, puts up separate lists. The number of seats allotted to a party depends on the number of votes it has got provided it crosses the threshold of 3.25 % of the total vote. The entire country is treated as one constituency. The result of this complex election process is that no single party succeeds in getting a majority on its own strength. Hence, coalitions are formed.

The coalition situation prior to the October 27 election was thus: Netanyahu’s Likud led party coalition had 68 seats. It had won 64 seats in the 2022 elections but four members of another party had later joined it to raise its number to 68; the Jewish opposition parties 42 and the two Israeli-Arab........

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