( CNN ) Israel 's ruling Likud Party pulled off a victory in Tuesday 's election -- and it was a stunning one . During the campaign , incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had come in for heavy criticism from across the political spectrum , for reasons ranging from concerns over his frosty relationship with the White House , to his fixation on the Iran nuclear issue , to allegations over Netanyahu 's household expenses . Yet despite this unpromising backdrop , Likud is on course to win 30 seats in the Knesset , six seats more than the main opposition Zionist Union -- headed by Isaac Herzog and Tsipi Livni , and an obvious favorite of the Israeli media establishment and Europe , Washington , and the West Bank . The blow to the Zionist Union is particularly painful because some opinion polls had actually had the party leading Likud as the campaign drew to a close . ( Likud was n't the only winner of the night -- the new center-right party Kulanu ( All of Us ) , which focuses on the economy , also had a good showing , securing 10 seats ) . Still , Likud 's resounding has n't settled the eventual makeup of the government -- in the coming weeks , the work of negotiating a coalition will begin . With this in mind , there is a good chance that President Reuven Rivlin will ask Netanyahu to form a national unity government , either with the Zionist Union , or as the head of a right-wing coalition ( although the bitter rivalry between Herzog/Livni and Netanyahu during the campaign makes the latter more likely ) . Overall , the election results seemed to reflect the rightward shift of the electorate , with even voters who self-identify as centrists consistently expressing conservative positions on both the Palestinian issue and broader questions of national security . Meanwhile , the numbers for the left in Tuesday 's election -- a four seats for Meretz , 24 for the Zionist Union and 14 for the Arab List suggests the bloc is some 20 seats short of a viable coalition . As a result , the international community and the Palestinian leadership will have to face the reality that negotiations over the Palestinian state will be conducted with the center-right . So , what can we expect from the new Netanyahu government ? Issues that dominated the campaign , namely security and the economy , will likely dominate . For a start , Netanyahu will try to improve his record on domestic and social issues by introducing more proactive policies tied to housing and land reform . The issue of housing requires especially painful economic and bureaucratic changes over the Israel Land Authority and planning and zoning processes . But to address these Issues properly , Netanyahu will have to confront land owners and the housing constructors , meaning key structural reforms are unlikely in the short term . In addition , Netanyahu will also have to repair the fractured relationship with Washington , something that may not be easy given that ties with the Obama administration will largely depends on whether a nuclear deal over Iran is reached , and what shape such a deal takes . That raises the question over what direction the government will take over national security , and on this , the government can probably be expected to pursue the status quo . This is despite the fact that growing instability and the proliferation of non-state hostile actors suggests that Israel should instead move beyond a short-term approach and toward building a long-term , comprehensive national security strategy that could make it an integrated regional power . Making such a change would require a political process capable of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict , rather than merely kicking the can down the road . Restarting communication with the West Bank leadership and properly engaging with the Arab Peace Initiative would be steps in the right direction . All that said , this will be Netanyahu 's fourth term in office , and so there is plenty of evidence with which to judge his likely trajectory . And that suggests that he will find it easier to focus on issues tied to the economy than making any real steps forward on building a comprehensive long-tern national security strategy . Those hoping that the prime minister might rethink his national security policies are likely to be disappointed again .
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won re-election in Tuesday 's poll . Olena Bagno-Moldavsky : Netanyahu unlikely to rethink national security policies .