“Netanyahu is finished,” former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had concluded in January with Israeli elections pending in April. In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor on Aug. 28 in Tel Aviv, Olmert stuck by his earlier prediction and expanded on his assessment of the upcoming elections. In short, he doesn’t expect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or anyone else to succeed in forming a government after the Sept. 17 vote, leaving Israelis to face yet another round of elections.

Al-Monitor:  During the last election, you predicted that Netanyahu will be unable to form a government. What do you foresee happening with the Sept. 17 election?

Olmert:  I’m glad you remember that, because most people don’t. When I saw the election results, it was obvious to me that there could be no government, because the gap between [Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor] Liberman and the ultra-Orthodox parties was too wide to bridge by conventional means. I am telling you today that no government will be formed after the upcoming election. If the polls reflect [the] public sentiment, there is no chance of a government being formed. Netanyahu is finished. [Blue and White leader Benny] Gantz won’t be able to form a government either. There will be a third round of elections toward the end of the year or early next year, unless someone does something that is a 180-degree reversal of what that person originally promised to do.

Al-Monitor:  What about a unity government?