Inside Story

Is Netanyahu buying time?

New elections will be held in Israel after Benjamin Netanyahu failed to cobble together a coalition government.

He worked right up until the Wednesday midnight deadline, but Benjamin Netanyahu just couldn’t make it happen. 

Nearly two months after the Israeli election there was no workable coalition, meaning the Knesset – the Israeli parliament – was dissolved and there will be another vote on September 17.

That means three months of campaigning, political uncertainty and no guarantee the next result will be any clearer.

Will anything change? And will a new vote shift the balance of power?

Presenter: Kamahl Santamaria 

Guests:  

Akiva Eldar – columnist at al-Monitor, a Middle East news and analysis website

Yossi Mekelberg – professor in international relations at Regent’s University

Mitchell Barak – adviser to former Israeli President Shimon Peres