Who will be Israel’s next prime minister?

There’s no clear winner in Israel‘s second general election in a year and coalition talks are about to start.

Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a record fifth term in office as Israel’s prime minister but his grip on power appears to be slipping.

Preliminary results show Netanyahu’s Likud party almost tied with the Blue and White party which is led by Benny Gantz.

Both leaders are short of the parliamentary majority they need to form a government.

This means whoever gets support from smaller parties will become the next prime minister.

And in that case, the kingmaker could be Yisrael Beiteinu’s leader Avigdor Lieberman.

Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin will then decide who’ll get the job.

So, how will the political bargaining turn out? And what kind of government will Israel get this time?

Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom

Guests

Akiva Eldar – Columnist for Al-Monitor’s Israel Pulse

Yossi Mekelberg – Professor of international relations at Regent’s University and a specialist in Israeli politics

Mitchell Barak – CEO of Keevoon Global Research and a former adviser to Israeli President Shimon Peres