I’m writing this as the world wakes up to news of a blue wave of Democrat wins in the US midterms. What they mean for America and the world will be the subject of next week’s issue but this week we are focusing on Israel.
As seasoned Knesset watchers know, the plethora of parties on the ballot and proportional representation rarely produce immediate clear winners and a new government in short order. But as Jonathan Freedland puts it in this week’s cover story, the 2026 election presents a philosophical as well as a political puzzle.
Benjamin Netanyahu may have lost his parliamentary majority, but the opposition bloc needs more than Jewish parties to take control of the Knesset and offer Gadi Eisenkot the premiership. As Jonathan explains, Netanyahu’s loss contains the path to a possible win, while the road to success for Eisenkot means working with Palestinian parties, a red line many Jewish voters and MPs may not be willing to cross.
Spotlight | Connected through chaos
As Donald Trump fans the flames of a world on fire with his vengeful foreign policy, can rational actors on the diplomatic stage douse the conflagration, asks Patrick Wintour
Science | The tales one fish can tell
Pioneering research into the tambaqui has shown that it is a vital canary in the coalmine to monitor the effects of global heating and oxygen loss in the Amazon, reports Mac Margolis
Feature | A spectrum of opinion on autism
Why have the numbers of people diagnosed with the condition ballooned over the past 20 years: is it overdiagnosis or an overly expansive definition? John Harris investigates
Opinion | Serbia deserves to succeed
But the victorious Student List’s ability to consolidate democracy relies on a future in Europe and Brussels must court these new leaders, argues Srđjan Cvijić
Culture | Still on the line
Jimmy Webb, who wrote the ever poignant Wichita Lineman for Glen Campbell as well other classic American hits, tells Dave Simpson about a new album and why, at 80, he still loves playing live
