Which way will Israel break? Netanyahu still in it after election night surprises

In Israel, the surprises only start with election night: they're still counting ballots in a vote that featured the highest turnout in decades, historic inroads by Arab parties, Benjamin Netanyahu’s worst result since 1999 and yet Israel’s longest-serving prime minister still has a path to staying in power. As we await the definitive makeup of the next parliament, our panel breaks out the calculators and pie charts: in what scenario does Netanyahu survive? Is the issue with the right-wing Likud leader or his policies? 

Horse trading ahead between the 11 parties that will make up the next 120-seat Knesset. In the mix, there's nationalists on both sides of the Bibi divide, the bitter battles over religion, the nature of Israel's democracy and over whether a coalition can include the 20-percent of Arab Israelis who this time turned out in droves. Can they enter government or even strike a deal to support the opposition? After years of hardline rhetoric against Palestinians, is that even possible? Otherwise put, is Israel about to get a lot more polarized or forge a whole new path?

Produced by François Picard, Andrew Hilliar, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

Our guests

• John LYNDON Executive Director, Alliance for Middle East Peace

• Irris MAKLER Journalist based in Jerusalem

• Mitchell BARAK Pollster and political analyst

• Nicolas ROUGER Journalist & Author of “Netanyahu, Agent of Chaos”