Israeli commentators are competing over which superlatives to apply to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu —the great political survivor, the magician, the grand wizard of politics. But despite the relative success of his Likud party in gaining a few more seats, it is about time the mythology surrounding the country’s longest serving prime minister evaporated. Last Monday’s election did not go in his favor and he has no easy route, if any, to form a government. However, the voting patterns provide a number of insights — some fascinating, some disturbing — into Israeli politics and the psyche of its voters. One thing we learned is that in an election that once again proved inconclusive, the Israeli public is not apathetic, and despite a third vote in 11 months, turnout slightly increased. To begin with, Netanyahu’s hate campaign paid off. His vile incitements against rivals, toxic delegitimizing of the entire Israeli-Palestinian population and its representatives, and unprecedented attacks on the media and the legal system led to a significant and worrying increase in his support. This represents one of the lowest points Israeli society, or at least part of it, has ever reached, in its readiness to support someone facing unprecedented charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, and ready to spread division to get off the hook. His supporters believe either that the “deep-state” in cahoots with the entire legal system is stitching up Netanyahu with false allegations, or that the spread of corruption in Israel is of little concern. Either way, it puts Israel’s democracy in real jeopardy. It has also become apparent that Benny Gantz’s so-called centrist party, Blue and White, reached its zenith in the previous election, and that its mish-mash of personalities, ideas and ideologies, with a leader falling short in the charisma department, is never going to sweep the electorate off its feet. The party’s campaign was feeble and directionless, at a time when Netanyahu and those around him were stopping at nothing to spread lies about Gantz. While Netanyahu was putting out ugly racist propaganda to scare Jewish voters into believing that a vote for Blue and White would lead to an administration that included the Arab Joint List (which in Likud’s distorted view equates to bringing traitors into government), instead of leading the charge against such discriminatory slurs and explicitly embracing the possibility, Gantz’s party shamefully excluded it. Despite the relative success of his Likud party in gaining a few more seats, it is about time the mythology surrounding Israel"s longest serving prime minister Netanyahu evaporated. Yossi Mekelberg Speaking of which, the Joint Arab List is the one of the few real winners in this election. The steady increase in its power as it attracts more and more support is making it a force to reckon with. A variety of factors increased its seats from 13 to 15. First was the decision of the four parties that comprise it to run together; their unity paid off at the ballot box. Second, since the voting behavior of Israeli-Palestinians is a known, it is their turnout that makes the difference, and in the last two elections this has been key to the Joint List’s success. Third, incitements by the Right against the Arab citizens of Israel, especially the passing of the notorious Nation-State Law, galvanized them and made them aware that unless they could maximize their representation in the Knesset, they would risk a continued erosion of their most basic rights. Last but not least, it is the constructive, pragmatic and charismatic leadership of the Joint List’s leader, Ayman Ouda, that has inspired and skilfully held together this uneasy political alignment, along with sensible policies that also appeal to some segments of the Jewish population. Another feature of this election is the near wipe-out of the Israeli-Jewish left, which is licking its wounds after winning a meager six seats. Once the dominant force behind the founding of the State of Israel, it is now marginalized and desperately needs to rethink its purpose, its ideology, and where to find its support base. It is tragic for the Left, and for the country, that its intellectual lapse and lack of vision or strategy has led to its natural supporters — the working class and the neglected and downtrodden — to vote for Netanyahu, someone who throughout his years in power has done absolutely nothing to help those in need of a strong welfare society. The Left must reconnect with these people, and should also seek a strategic alliance with the Arab Joint List and its supporters, not to mention once again leading the peace camp. Can a coalition be formed at the third attempt? Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc has no majority in the Knesset, which means that Israel Beitenu’s leader Avigdor Lieberman could again be the kingmaker. Though Lieberman has declared that he won’t allow a fourth election, his refusal to participate in a Netanyahu-led government, or support a Gantz administration that would include members from the Arab Joint List, threatens another stalemate. Alternatively, if there is some movement between the blocs, then it is possible, although unlikely, that a coalition could be formed. What is left to consider is that the spectacle of Netanyahu’s corruption trial, which begins on March 17, may cause some of his political colleagues to rethink whether it is appropriate for the country to be led by someone preoccupied with proving his innocence, while the charges against him are read out to the Israeli people and beamed out to the rest of the world. Should Netanyahu be consequently forced out of office, or at least suspended, the options for forming a government open up. If not, a fourth election this year is not beyond the realm of possibility. Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations at Regent’s University London, where he is head of the International Relations and Social Sciences Program. He is also an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He is a regular contributor to the international written and electronic media. Twitter: @YMekelberg Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News" point-of-view