India, Nov. 1 -- At the time Israelis were casting their ballots, Washington was conveying a blunt message to the Arab Gulf states preparing for a short but devastating bombing campaign against Iran once the American midterms have passed.

The morning after Israel's election, the public awoke not to clarity but to a political hangover. Exit polls were contradictory, the margins were exceedingly narrow, and the only certainty was that no political bloc had secured a governing majority. For a country exhausted by years of political turbulence, this was the outcome most Israelis least wanted.

They must now confront the most uncomfortable conclusion: the inconclusive result has not merely paralysed Israeli politics; it has materially increas...