What next for Israeli politics after another election stalemate?

BINYAMIN NETANYAHU hoped to ride a successful vaccination drive all the way to victory in Israel’s parliamentary election on March 23rd. The prime minister spent most of his time on the campaign trail touring vaccination centres, promising that Israel would be the first country to emerge from covid-19. His party, Likud, even co-opted the government’s slogan for the drive, “Returning to Life”, as its own rallying cry—until a judge ordered it to stop.Israel has jabbed a higher proportion of its citizens than any other country. Yet the political side of Mr Netanyahu’s plan failed. Though Likud remains the largest party in the 120-member Knesset (Israel’s parliament), it got 300,000 fewer votes and won six fewer seats (30) than it did in the last election, a year ago. Worse, the bloc of right-wing and religious parties that were expected to support a new government led by Mr Netanyahu won only 59 seats, two short of a majority.