Fifth Elections Loom as Indecision Seems Imminent in Israel  

Israel is only 13 days away from Election Day, its 4^th in two years, yet the electoral picture is only getting fuzzier as the decisive date approaches. In polls released on Tuesday, both blocs – the one supporting Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the one vowing to replace him – don’t reach the 61-seat threshold needed to form a government. Right-wing parties headed by former Netanyahu allies, willing to join center-left candidates in the quest to remove the long-serving premier, have lost ground in recent days, narrowing the room for maneuvering post-election. Still, Netanyahu, even with the support of the wavering right-wing Yamina Party, which hasn’t declared its loyalty to either side, is short several seats from ensuring a viable coalition. On Wednesday, former Netanyahu confidant-turned-nemesis Gideon Saar, facing a week-long drop in the polls, said he would consider supporting the left-wing’s proposed bill barring individuals facing criminal charges from serving as prime minister. Netanyahu currently is standing trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.