Israel considers fourth election in two years

The centrist Blue and White party teamed up with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party in March to lead the country’s parliament, the Knesset. But the governing coalition threatened to come apart in a Wednesday parliamentary vote. The Blue and White party joined opposition parties to push the Knesset to dissolve and hold a new election early next year. The legislation heads to committee, and parliament could hold a final vote as early as next week.

What is the outlook? Both coalition parties face significant challenges. Netanyahu’s corruption trial begins in February. And as of Wednesday, the Blue and White party was projected to win just 10 seats in a new election, according to the Times of Israel. The far-right party Yamina has emerged as the second-place runner to Likud in recent polling. The government will automatically dissolve if parliament cannot agree on a budget in three weeks.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in The Sift on the deal that ended more than a year of political gridlock in Israel in April.