He needs a coalition. The result is more power for the prime minister at the expense of the Knesset. There is a form of separation, but no checks and balances. It polarizes in a dangerous way. The mainstream has become the minority.
Paradoxes abound to illustrate the point.
Israel is now more secular than ever, and yet ultra-Orthodox parties hold more power than ever. While polls show most Israelis favor Palestinian statehood and a more open, privatized economy, both movements are blocked at every turn. The two main parties are moving closer to the center, but special interest factions are still capable of pulling the strings of mainstream candidates. Netanyahu, for instance, signed the Wye River agreement with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat last October, but has found numerous excuses not to implement them. In campaign mode, the politicians become even more difficult to decipher.