Benjamin Netanyahu may be back – but the true victory belongs to Israel’s far right | Lloyd Green

The election of Itamar Ben-Gvir and his Religious Zionism party could put huge pressure on Israel's international relationships

• Lloyd Green is an attorney and served in the US Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992

Benjamin Netanyahu's rightwing coalition appears headed to victory in Israel's parliamentary elections. Against the backdrop of his ongoing bribery and corruption trial, the win may provide him with a badly needed get out of jail card. But he is not the election's biggest winner. That honour goes to Israel's Religious Zionism party.

The results offer them a place in the sun and political legitimacy. They have moved from the fringe to the mainstream, with 15 seats in the 120-member Knesset. The time has come for us to reassert ownership of this state," the neo-Kahanist Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the party, told his fans.

Lloyd Green is an attorney in New York and served in the US Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992

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