Middle East and Africa | Too many kingmakers

The complicated dance to unseat Binyamin Netanyahu

Only if opposites unite can Israel’s prime minister be ousted

|JERUSALEM

THE BLUE and white balloons that had been prepared for Likud’s victory celebrations remained in the netting on the ceiling. Israel’s ruling party had emerged from the parliamentary election on March 23rd still the largest party in the 120-member Knesset (Israel’s parliament), but its leader, Binyamin Netanyahu, has only a slim chance of controlling a majority within it. Israel’s longest-serving prime minister promised to try to form “a strong and stable coalition”, but his voice lacked its usual confident tone.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Too many kingmakers”

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