The snap legislative elections to the Knesset on Wednesday haven't won Benjamin Netanyahu the kind of secure majority he wanted in the 120-member house; on the other hand, however, the outcome of election may prove to be his nemesis the world has been waiting for a long time. His Likud won only 31 seats, the rest going to his opponents, among them the three important being Blue and White (32), Joint Arab List (13) and Israel Beiteinu (9). He is now huffing and puffing to remain in the high chair by offering others a majority-coalition government. But others, particularly a Soviet born defence minister Avigdor Lieberman, has called for a unity government between his party, Blue and White and Likud, but gave no hint that he would accept Netanyahu as prime minister. There is also a dark horse in the race: the Blue and White's Gantz who is for a 'broad unity government', to be headed by himself. The election results also tend to suggest that the so-called leftist Zionists are being successively marginalized, Israeli rights, including extremists, are on the rise, the 650,000 illegal settlers are being treated as "superior people", religious parties are radicalized, and the Palestinian minority in Israel is gaining ground, as the Joint Arab List becomes the third largest bloc in the Knesset.
Will Benjamin Netanyahu retain his premiership? The answer is: the jury is still out on that because the Israeli politics is known to have often thrown up clear impossibilities as the possible. History tells us that a one-member majority government may last quite long. Many, who thought corruption charges against Netanyahu would throw him out of the elections, should think again - in today's Israel what matters is not the ethical benchmarks the election candidates must meet, what matters is their commitment to all-embracing Zionism, 'Greater Israel' and all that goes with it. And, who should have fitted that rigid measurement more than Benjamin Netanyahu? In the words of Al-Jazeera, "for months he lied to his constituency, ridiculed his competitors, flouted electoral rules, demonized the Palestinian minority in Israel, bombed several neighbouring countries, announced new illegal settlements, vowed to annex a third of the occupied West Bank and trotted around like a superhero with US and Russian leaders. But all to no avail". Prominent Israeli newspaper Haaretz has likened him to Richard Nixon whose "refusal to depart gracefully will cement his name in history as an unrepentant crook". But, in today's Israel, with its wholesale commitment to its genesis as an illegally-planted state, Netanyahu may still survive his electoral rout and retain his premiership.
Given the severity of challenge to his position both as prime minister of Israel and country's chief negotiator in matters of war and peace, Netanyahu has cancelled his scheduled address to the UN General Assembly, which means there would be no Donald Trump-Benjamin Netanyahu meeting on its sidelines. But that hardly matters to men in Washington - the US Administration is known for its 'Plan-B' on all issues including those related to its diplomacy. There is therefore no serious threat to the United States' "deal of the century" as permanent solution to the Palestine 'problem'. It may not only survive, but be back on the table for multiple reasons. Indications are that others in Israel are equally enthusiastic about the deal. There is growing optimism in Israel about the emerging strategic scenario in the Middle East. Although the Arab leaders have rejected the deal, they have moved closer to President Trump's America in recent years and months.