Netanyahu Set to Lose? Israel's Election Could Reshape the Country

Israel's election on October 27 is approaching fast, but no one knows who will win. One thing is becoming clearer: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is more likely to lose. His polling numbers are poor, and the opposition parties — though divided — may still find a way to form the next government. What would such a government do? Most of the Zionist opposition parties, the frontrunners to lead a coalition, have offered vague promises about good governance and unifying the country. Others have put forward more specific plans: establishing a state commission of inquiry into the government's failures around the attacks of October 7, 2023, and ending the military service exemption enjoyed by most ultra-Orthodox Jewish men. According to Dahlia Scheindlin, a Tel Aviv-based political analyst and author of *The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel*, only a clear opposition victory would let the country begin to heal, strengthen democracy, and establish Palestinian rights. After three disastrous years, she argues, Israel needs to rethink itself — and a new government would be a start.