Israel held its most recent election in early March, just as the coronavirus outbreak first reached the country in late February. The results of the election at first appeared to give Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right coalition a major victory.

But within days, the media realized that the fulcrum of power had shifted from Netanyahu’s far-right bloc to the center-right bloc led by Benny Gantz of Blue and White. As Israel’s president tasked the latter with forming a new government, based on the sixty-one MKs (Knesset members) who recommended he be offered the opportunity, it appeared there would be a minority government in which Blue and White would be supported from outside by the Palestinian Joint List.

Layered on top of this political crisis was a growing pandemic sweeping the world. As the number of Israeli victims and the first death from coronavirus was announced, Netanyahu saw an opportunity to revive his political relevance. Actually, Netanyahu acted even before the first death, which was on March 20.