Israel’s fourth election in two years has completed. This time around, Benjamin Netanyahu did not secure a majority of sixty-one in the Knesset. His coalition of Likud and three right-wing religious parties obtained fifty-two. Likud on its own got only thirty. The other side, a combination of parties on the left, centre and right that oppose Netanyahu and want him removed, won a total of fifty-seven. In the middle, undecided, were the United Arab List or Ra’am, and Yamina. Ra’am is led by Mansour Abbas, who is an Arab Islamist. And Yamina is led by Naftali Bennett, a right-wing politician who fell out with Netanyahu. Such was the political landscape when the final count had completed (ref. 1).
Since then, Netanyahu has made overtures to Gideon Sa’ar, and separately attempted to poach individual New Hope MKs (ref. 2). So far, his attempts have not succeeded.
Consequently, for Netanyahu to remain in power, he needs to win over both Yamina and Ra’am. However, for Netanyahu to be removed from power, his opponents need only win over Yamina or Ra’am.
A week ago, there were reports of the anti-Netanyahu bloc forming a government with Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid rotating as prime ministers (ref. 2).
Bennett’s decision to move against Netanyahu, which is something he neither ruled in or out during the election, must have happened when he saw Netanyahu and Likud in talks with Ra’am, a party of Islamists (ref. 3). On the prospect of sharing power with Ra’am, others within the pro-Netanyahu coalition such as Religious Zionism’s Bezalel Smotrich have said “not on my watch” (ref. 4).
The talks between Lapid and Bennett stalled because the two could not agree on whom should be prime minister first.
Then, Lapid complicated things by himself approaching Abbas of Ra’am (ref. 5).
Sa’ar, for his part, is pushing Lapid to let Bennett be prime minister first in an anti-Netanyahu government (ref. 6).
At this stage, it is not certain that a government will form. It may well be that Israel is headed for a fifth election later this year.
I think, Netanyahu’s days as leader of Israel are over. Whether he is removed now or after a fifth election is up to Lapid and Bennett. Netanyahu’s decision to entertain the idea of a governing coalition with Ra’am, an Islamist party with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, has surely damaged his position politically among the right. It is one thing to do a deal with secular Arabs, but it is quite another with Islamists.
Obvious to all now, Netanyahu cares only about remaining in power, in order to avoid the criminal charges against him of breach of trust, bribery and fraud.
Besides Islamists, Netanyahu is also hypocritical on the so-called LGBTQ movement, appointing the first gay MK in 2019 no doubt at America’s behest, only to court anti-LGBTQ parties in the lead up to the 2021 election (ref. 7). Of course, for Israel, a pro-LGBTQ prime minister, one who forsakes the holy covenant, is plainly wrong.
For a while, it seemed to me that Netanyahu could not be toppled. It is known from the Bible that in these last days, some two-thirds of the population of Israel is not right with God (ref. Zechariah 13:8-9). With the ungodly being in the majority, it was difficult to imagine how there could be a change of government through an election. The North American occultist Manly P Hall once remarked that democracy was conceived precisely to circumvent the divine right of kings to rule. Even so, in time, the government of Israel will change, because with God all things are possible.
… Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26
I think, the next government of Israel must have Yamina in it, or at least like-minded politicians, because Ayelet Shaked of Yamina once spoke about changing the status quo of the Temple Mount to allow Jewish prayer (ref. 8). Such a move would be a step towards the temple of God and the daily sacrifice, which must happen!
Netanyahu, by contrast, continues to insist on the status quo, for the sake of appeasing Arab nations, whom he regards as allies. Clearly, Netanyahu is a secular politician who places his faith in geopolitical alliances, rather than God.
It just might be that this election has prepared the political landscape of Israel to receive the two witnesses, Elijah and John. These two will guide Israel on the temple of God and the oblation (ref. Malachi 3:4).
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Malachi 4:5-6
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angels stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Revelation 11:1-3
The two witnesses will also take the lead in the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God (ref. Revelation 14:6). Those who profess to be Christian that think they can continue with nonsense and confusion, thereby aiding and abetting the enemy, must repent or else suffer the consequences. The two witnesses will have supernatural power and authority to smite the earth as often as they please (ref. Revelation 11:6).
When the two witnesses arrive and the abomination of desolation happens, the countdown to the day of the LORD begins (ref. Revelation 11:3, Daniel 12:11-12), but no man knows the day or the hour except the Father (ref. Mark 13:32), because everything must be just right.
References:
1. Haaretz (27 March 2021), “Israel Election Results: Who’s Heading to the Knesset”, haaretz.com
2. Times of Israel (26 March 2021), “1-year ‘government of healing’ mooted by anti-Netanyahu bloc, but huge obstacles”, timesofisrael.com
3. Nehemia Shtrasler (27 March 2021), “Netanyahu Said He’ll Never Do It, and That’s When I Knew He Would Go With Islamist Party”, haaretz.com
4. Times of Israel (25 March 2021), “‘Not on my watch’: Smotrich rules out cooperation with Islamist Ra’am party”, timesofisrael.com
5. Times of Israel (28 March 2021), “Lapid and Abbas hold talks on forming government, say will continue discussions”, timesofisrael.com
6. Gil Hoffman (31 March 2021), “Sa’ar tells Yair Lapid to let Naftali Bennett be prime minister”, jpost.com
7. Sam Kiley (22 February 2021), “Netanyahu, long a supporter of LGBTQ rights, courts homophobes and racists in bid to cling to power”, cnn.com
8. Benny Toker (31 October 2014), “Shaked: Allow Jews to Pray on the Temple Mount”, israelnationalnews.com