Laurence Bindner

In my interview this morning @cnni , I tried to explain the complicated political situation in Israel following the elections. The bottom line is that we still need to wait for the final results, but Israel appears to be heading toward a political deadlock. Despite Netanyahu’s impressive showing and Likud’s electoral gains, he appears to have lost his parliamentary majority and currently has no clear path to forming a government. At the same time, Eisenkot and his political bloc face a similar challenge. They cannot form a government without the support of the Arab parties, something Eisenkot pledged during the campaign not to rely on. Whether he is prepared to reverse that commitment remains an open question. And then there is Iran. A renewed military confrontation, which I believe is a serious possibility, could fundamentally change the political equation. Such an escalation could give Netanyahu an opportunity to push for a national unity government, potentially allowing him to remain in power despite losing his parliamentary majority. In other words, Israel’s next government may be shaped not only by the election results, but also by developments on the Iranian front. @rosemarycnn