The March 23 Israeli elections concluded in a deadlock for the fourth time in two years (See “Courting Christians”). Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu once again fell short of the parliamentary majority needed to form a new government, in what Israelis viewed as a referendum on his leadership: Netanyahu, first elected in 1996, was running for his sixth term.
Netanyahu faces charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes. He dismisses the scandals as an attack by hostile politicians, lawyers, and journalists. Netanyahu recently campaigned on his success in securing vaccines for all Israelis, which led to 80 percent of the population gaining inoculation by election time. Critics say Netanyahu has allowed his ultra-Orthodox allies to ignore lockdown rules and inoculation drives.