Israel’s next government must end Gaza’s catastrophe

Israel’s Arab voters have made themselves impossible to ignore. The question now is whether the country’s political leaders will accept their elected representatives as partners in shaping its future. The answer will shape both the next government and the prospects for peace. By the morning of 29 October, reporting on the unfinished count converged on 53 seats for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp, 48 for the opposition grouping led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot and 19 for Arab-led parties. These are provisional figures, not a final allocation or a coalition agreement. Netanyahu remains in office, and neither principal camp has secured an absolute parliamentary majority. Before the election, I wrote: “Netanyahu does not necessarily need his opponents to lose. […]