The results of the elections for the 26th Knesset in Israel are full of contradictions. Even Israelis struggle to understand them. In Israel, the left supports universal military conscription, while the right opposes it. This is hard to understand. Meanwhile, almost the entire “change” opposition objects to the inclusion of representatives from Arab parties in the government– one of the most important changes Israel needs right now, and without which there will no longer be any opposition to the right in Israel. In Israel, one camp can secure a clear majority – 67 out of 120 Knesset seats – yet either chooses not to form a government or finds itself unable to do so. The other camp, led by Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud – the party that won the most votes by a wide margin but not a majority – is also currently unable to form a government. And there is another, truly unbelievable aspect: in the first elections following 7 October and the genocide in Gaza, these two critical issues were not discussed at all during the campaign. Israel: a land of endless absurdities. The first phenomenon that stood out immediately upon the announcement of the election results was the strengthening of the two Arab parties. The Joint List and Ra’am together won 19 seats, an unprecedented figure in Israel. Nevertheless, it appears that both Netanyahu’s camp and, quite astonishingly, the so-called change camp continue to subject them to a total boycott. For Netanyahu’s camp, this stems from an overt racist ideology. For the other camp, it stems from veiled racism and cowardice – a fear of how they might be perceived by the right, the media and even some of their own supporters. The change camp is composed of diverse and even contradictory elements: a Zionist left (the Democrats party), a militaristic centre (the parties of Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett), and the nationalist right. Except for the Democrats, all other components of the camp have vowed not to sit in a government alongside Arab parties, nor would they even discuss the possibility. In other words, the change camp excludes the Arab voice just as the right does.
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