Netanyahu’s potential defeat: What Ukraine could gain from new Israeli government
Benjamin Netanyahu (RBC-Ukraine collage)
The united Israeli opposition is much more supportive of Ukraine in its public statements than Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition. If it wins, Ukraine could expect a more active dialogue on countering Iran and an exchange of experience in combating drones.
Who is challenging Netanyahu?
This time, the prime minister is facing a united opposition comprising four quite different political forces:
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The Together alliance of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid;
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The right-wing secular Yisrael Beiteinu party;
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Gadi Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar party;
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The center-left Democrats party.
What will change for Ukraine?
"Opposition parties are much more supportive of Ukraine in their stated positions than coalition parties," Sophie Ron-Moria, a lawyer and journalist for the Israeli newspaper Maariv, told RBC-Ukraine.
For Ukraine, this could mean a more active dialogue on countering Iran, a more effective exchange of experience in combating drones, and cooperation in other areas. In addition, the opposition seeks to restore relations with the European Union, which is also a positive signal for Ukraine.
How does the opposition differ from Netanyahu?
On security issues, particularly Iran and Hamas, the positions of the government and the opposition differ mainly in rhetoric.
"The only difference between the opposition parties and the government is that they are still unwilling to continue the war in the way Netanyahu is waging it," said Ihor Semivolos, director of the Center for Middle East Studies.
One of RBC-Ukraine’s sources compares the potential changes to Hungary after Orbán’s departure: foreign policy changes noticeably, but only within the limits of what society is willing to accept.
The Israeli election campaign is entering its final stretch amid a tense atmosphere. Ahead of the election, Netanyahu posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv on the social media platform X. Meanwhile, thousands of people took to the streets in Tel Aviv to protest against the prime minister.
Netanyahu has secured support from Washington: US President Donald Trump endorsed him ahead of the election.
