On 17 Sep 2019 Israel held its 2nd election in a year after the dissolution of the Israeli Parliament in April. The election was cast as a contest between Benny Gantz and Benjamin Netanyahu, the latter having tried for a fifth term as PM. In reality, though, it was a vote on whether or not Bibi was still fit to hold office. Neither of the candidates’ parties scored enough seats to form government. The final count was Gantz at 33 seats to Netanyahu’s 31. Even then, Bibi had to cobble together his seats from a far-right coalition. Since then there have been calls for formation of a unity government between Likud (Bibi’s party) and Blue and White (Gantz), with Lieberman cast as the kingmaker. Gantz has refused, and now the Joint List (Arab) party has endorsed Gantz as their man to be PM. The question on everyone’s mind is now: Is this the end of Bibi Netanyahu?
We will get to Bibi’s chart in a bit, but first some background information will set the scene. The Joint List party is a coalition of Arab parties that holds the 3rd-highest number of seats in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament). It is now up to the Israeli President, Reuven Rivli, to decide who should be able to form a stable government. He favors a unity government, and will presumably choose either Gantz or Netanyahu to have first crack at forming a government.
Arabs form a 21% minority in Israel. The Joint List holds 13 seats in the Knesset since the election, with the Arab turnout in the election having swelled, giving them their present seats. With the recent announcement by Netanyahu that he intended to annex the Jordan Valley if elected, among other policies and his endorsement of the ‘Deal of the Century’, the Arabs (Palestinians) saw the writing on the wall. This election to them is about their survival in Israel. Their announcement of support for Gantz is a direct statement against Bibi’s policies. They want to see an end to Netanyahu’s grip on power. From an op-ed by the Joint List’s leader, Ayman Odeh, in the New York Times:
“If the center-left parties of Israel believe that Arab Palestinian citizens have a place in this country, they must accept that we have a place in its politics…There is no shared future without the full and equal participation of Arab Palestinian citizens,” he said.
“We want to bring an end to the era of Netanyahu, so we recommend that Benny Gantz be the one to form the next government.”
This is purely a recommendation, and does not mean that they would form government with Gantz, whom they find almost as equally despicable as Bibi. It was a tragic choice for them to have to make and they are in a real dilemma. Bibi, naturally, has slammed the move. In endorsing Gantz, the Joint List has broken its own precedent of not endorsing either of the major parties in Israel. And one of the group forming the Joint List – Balad, the Palestinian National Democratic party – remains opposed to the move because of Gantz’s bloody record of military actions against the Palestinians.
Rivlin will now have to decide who he will put forward as the best candidate to form government. That person will have up to six weeks to do so. Gantz has declined to be first, which may not have been the smartest move, which leaves Bibi as the probable first choice. If the first person fails, then the other candidate will be put forward. If neither one can form government, then there will be yet another election in Israel, probably in the first of next year, when we have the Saturn/Pluto conjunction. To put this in context, no Arab party has ever formed a part of the government in Israel.
But Bibi has played the scare card with the announcement by the Joint List.According to Netanyahu:
“Israelis now were faced with two choices: a minority government that leans on those that reject Israel as a Jewish, democratic state, or a “broad national government” composed of his and Gantz’s parties.”
Such a minority government could be one of the best things to happen to Israel in recent memory. But how realistically do we think this is going to play out, given that Israel is highly nationalistic and leans far to the right? It is not likely and in fact is already playing out that a unity government is to be formed, or at least attempted. A quick look at Israel’s chart may give some clues. The chart is below (bigger):
The 4:15 chart shows Israel’s outcomes better than any charts I have seen thus far. On the day of the elections the directed/progressed Ascendant was opposite the Israeli Venus from the 3rd house (media), squared by transiting Mercury and Chiron, showing the media blitz by Netanyahu and the focus upon the perceived vulnerabilities and fears of the Israeli public, with a particular focus upon military threats (Chiron in the 6th house) and the attempt to sway the public with the threat of Arab interests represented to the nation (Mercury in the 12th house, deception and trickery).
Transiting Saturn was sesquisquare the Israeli Mars, weakening the legal system (Mars ruling the 7th house) and showing the litigious nature of the election. Bibi broke electoral laws during the final days of the campaign and even on the day of the election.
The aspects to the sitting government are telling, though. We find transiting Mars semisquare the Israeli Moon, the latter ruling the 10th house (the sitting government, or Bibi) and directed Neptune sesquisquare the Israeli Moon. Thus, Bibi’s re-election was far from assured. On top of that, we see transiting Jupiter trine Saturn, the latter ruling the 4th house (opposition parties) on the day, and thus the outcome was pretty well assured – Bibi was going to lose, or the outcome was wholly indecisive. Either way, the outcome went against Netanyahu.
Not even the direction of Venus to the MC would save him, although it may give him a brief reprieve. He is exposed to an indictment on fraud charges, which could come any time between now and mid-December. Venus rules the 1st house (public opinion), the 8th house and the 12th houses in that chart. However, Venus on its own is a more passive element and does not in itself have the power to push Bibi over the line.
Standing in contrast to the Venusian direction is the direction of Saturn sesquisquare the Israeli Mercury, the latter in the 8th house (death, international banking, gains/losses from litigation and overthrows), and with the direction of Saturn being within orb of the Israeli Ascendant in May of 2020. That will be a very interesting year in Israel’s destiny if this chart continues to prove itself. (See this article for more info.)
This brings us to Bibi Netanyahu’s chart. It is a contested chart, not having an accurate birth time. The charts I have seen range anywhere from a 9:15 am birth time to 11:45 am, which gives the last degrees of Scorpio through the whole of Sagittarius rising. The two main charts I have seen are the 9:15 and the 10:15 chart, which was used in the election article, with the vast majority of charts cited for Bibi being the Sagittarius rising chart. In the last article on the elections we saw the chart listed on www.astro.com, (10:15) with astro.com giving several other options.
When dealing with uncertain birth times one must do rectifications (correcting) of charts, but one always enters the realm of speculation, or ‘educated guesses’ when doing so. What one ends up with is a working chart for the individual, event or nation. In the case of a person, one has to look at the events that have most shaped that person’s life – deaths, surgeries, marriages, etc. – karmic events, in other words, which are defined by a person’s ‘field of experience’: the houses, determined by the Ascendant and the place of birth.
In Bibi’s case, the key events are listed in the astro.com site for ease of reference. Both the charts mentioned have their merits. I have no preference either way at this point. I can see both. The telling event will be the indictment, if it comes. Indictments are ruled by the 7th house, and can be activated by directions and transits to the Horizon, especially from outer planets or Mars – Mars especially by direction. The 9:15 chart has Venus as the ruler of the 7th, whereas the ruler of the 7th in the 10:15 chart is Mercury.
Even without a birth time his directions and transits are not looking favorable. Gantz, on the other hand, has Jupiter transiting opposite his Sun, which helps him, if not making him overconfident. The latter is a distinct possibility with his move toward not taking first shot at forming government. That Jupiter transit will be gone in a few days, though. His Sun will then receive a semisquare by transit in mid-November by Uranus. If it takes Bibi all six weeks and he fails to form government, then that may signal Gantz’s shot at the job.
Both men are showing a bit of arrogance at the moment. Jupiter is known for its ability to produce hubris. The Sun can as well. And then there is the Mars/Saturn square and opposition. Bibi has a natal Sun/Jupiter square. And then there are midpoints. In cosmobiology there are three ‘arrogance midpoints’ – Sun/Jupiter, Sun/Pluto and Mercury/Jupiter. Hubris is something for which Bibi is well known. One would expect to find at least one of those in his chart, and the 10:15 chart shows the Sun/Pluto midpoint on his Midheaven.
The 9:15 chart shows the Mars/Saturn midpoint there at the MC, which is more tragic. And he has experienced tragedy, as well as being wounded several times in conflicts. He lost his brother in one. We’ll have to wait and see if the indictment comes as to which chart holds greater promise. Both charts show the loss of his brother and his parents, as well as his electoral successes. But, if that indictment does come, well then it won’t really matter at which chart we are looking. It would be the end of his career as a leader in Israeli politics.
What we know for certain is that Israeli politics will be uncertain for the next months at lease, with the direction of Neptune to the Israeli Moon. Another thing that is certain is the Bibi has lost his shine with the Israeli public, otherwise he would have been victorious in the election. Still, he has been the longest-serving Israeli PM, which is quite a feat. It shows his durability, whether we like him or not, with his natal Sun/Mars sextile and Sun/Jupiter square, along with several other factors. His energy, his ability to wheel and deal and his synastry with Israel has kept him in office for years.
Every politician, however, is tested as to the use of power, and Bibi has let it go to his head. And he has abused the privilege, as witness by the allegations against him and his actions on the world stage. This election could well mark his swan song from Israeli politics. The ‘short trip’ mentioned in the previous article may be a short trip to prison, or a trip home. At this point, we just don’t know. I have read several articles saying he is finished, but he is not the sort you can easily count out. There is too much in flux.
Lastly, the Arab coalition that has voted to back Gantz has a golden opportunity to shake up Israeli politics a little – if they hold together, that is. Their seats in the Knesset have the possibility to prove crucial in certain legislations, given the split nature of the Knesset. I had seen one article that said they were possibly fracturing. If so, they will have blown their chance, and it may not return. It would probably return Bibi to power, at which point he may be able to pull off immunity from prosecution. There is a lot riding on their decisions.
The Palestinians have a little glimmer of light here. Sometimes ideals – as in not supporting either party out of principle – are best put aside if one sees an opportunity like this. The bigger goal is always more important, and our ideals often blind us to realities. We hold the light for all the people of Israel, the region and the wider world community in this time of Israel’s transition.
Featured pic from Huffington Post