Netanyahu, Eisenkot and the 61 Problem
Twelve days before Israel votes, Yonit observes that the national mood is neither Britain in 1997 nor America in 2008 - a nation certain that it’s on the brink of change - but one of pure tension on both sides. In the final stretch, Binyamin Netanyahu is on an interview blitz, making no secret of his plans to maintain his current coalition while insisting Itamar Ben-Gvir will not be defense minister—a denial Jonathan reads as an outright forecast. Meanwhile, Gadi Eisenkot warns voters that his slate must be the largest in the anti-Bibi bloc, Naftali Bennett takes the lead for a joint ticket while his partner Lapid goes conspicuously quiet and Jonathan wonders if Netanyahu can simply peel off defectors after election day. Then, the electoral arithmetic that will decide the night: why the Arab parties sit outside both blocs, and whether a minority government could actually function. Plus: Chutzpah of the Week from an American campus, a strictly kosher if high Mensch award and a reminder that Unholy goes live on election night, 27 October, the moment the exit polls drop.