Netanyahu’s Win Is Actually a Loss—Here’s Why

Israel’s election produced a strange result: a win that contains a loss, and a loss that contains a win. Benjamin Netanyahu has suffered a clear defeat, yet he still has a strong chance of staying in power. Before Tuesday, his ruling coalition held 68 of the Knesset’s 120 seats. That number has now fallen to 53—far short of the 61 seats needed for a majority. By any measure, that is a loss. But the opposition cannot win unless it joins forces with Arab parties. Netanyahu knows this, and he will use every trick to remain prime minister. He has led Israel for more than 19 of the past 30 years. The lesson is sharp and clear, both for Israel and for those fighting nationalist populists around the world: to stop them, you cannot play by gentlemen’s rules.