Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must make every effort to have the Labor party join his coalition, first and foremost in order to ensure a more stable government. Assuming Yisrael Beytenu also joins the coalition, a government that includes Labor would not be susceptible to the pressures of his coalition partners and the unreasonable demands of the haredi parties. Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Lieberman's demands would also be more modest with the knowledge that with or without his party, they would still have a majority in the Knesset.
The battered Labor party has just experienced the greatest defeat in its history; only 191,000 people gave their vote to the party, earning it six Knesset seats, less than either Shas or United Torah Judaism. If Labor remains in the opposition, it will disappear entirely. The Blue and White party, headed by three former IDF chiefs of staff and Yair Lapid, will be the dominant force in the Knesset. Its 35 lawmakers who will leave no room for Amir Peretz, Shelly Yachimovich and their friends in Labor to maneuver. Labor's representatives will walk around the Knesset with sullen faces, disappointed at the election failure and lethargic. And it is unlikely any of its members will be made the head of any sort of Knesset committee.
But were Labor to join the government, it would have influence over fundamental issues as well as diplomatic affairs, foremost among them deciding how Israel should contend with U.S. President Donald Trump's forthcoming "deal of the century," as well as finding an appropriate solution to the grave situation in the Gaza Strip and the government's concept of security, in particular regarding Iran.
Although it seems unlikely now, if Netanyahu takes this path and succeeds in convincing representatives of Labor to join his government, they could be afforded at least two ministries, a deputy ministerial role and tasked with chairing a Knesset committee. As a result, the blood would once again pump through their veins. Peretz, who enjoys a good relationship with Netanyahu, would be hard-pressed to refuse an offer to head a major ministry, like Construction and Housing or National Infrastructure, Energy and Water and be made a member of the cabinet. Nor would Yachimovich reject outright an offer to make her labor, social affairs and social services minister after all those years of parliamentary activity.
Labor leader Avi Gabbay will likely soon be ousted as party chairman, which will make such a move easier to implement as although he has declared he would not join a Netanyahu government, his declaration does not obligate other party members. They could explain to their voters that at this point in time, they would be able to have much greater influence on the government as members of the coalition than they would sitting it out in the opposition.
Labor's leaders have forgotten what power tastes like. It's been six years since their representatives served in a government. By joining Netanyahu's fifth coalition government, they would exact some degree of revenge on Blue and White, which siphoned 18 Knesset seats from the party and battered its members at every opportunity. It is possible.
