It still is not clear who will be Israel's next prime minister, but the winner of last week's vote is plain: Israel's right will now pace the country's politics. The violence and insecurity of daily life pushed Israeli voters toward hardline solutions to national security. They have tired of promises of peace that are quickly broken and uncertainty about the reliability of their negotiating partner.
No matter who emerges as Israel's next leader, he or she will govern a fractious majority, a bitterly divided country and face a hostile and unpredictable security environment.
Kadima, a centrist party led by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, "won" last week's vote, taking 28 seats in the 120-seat Parliament, besting the rightwing Likud Party by one seat. Unfortunately, Kadima and its allies on the left can claim only 56 seats; a rightwing coalition, with Likud at its core, would hold 64. Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister who now heads Likud, has said that he prefers a grand coalition with Kadima and his traditional rival — and sometimes partner — on the left, Labor, which is headed by Defense Minister and former Prime Minister Ehud Barack.