Vowing to restore security to the people of the south, who have been facing the threat of Hamas rockets, Israel's new government has also pledged to bring in stability, shattered by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Now, one month after the establishment of Israel's emergency government, let's take a look at the main zigzags and promises of the nation's key politicians and whether they've kept their word given to voters on the campaign trail.
Sovereignty? Not That Quickly
One of the main promises given by Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud was the PM's intention to extend Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank.
In September, few days ahead of the second round of the general polls, Netanyahu gathered scores of reporters, promising all "a dramatic announcement".
"If re-elected", he stated, "I will extend Israel's sovereignty over the Jordan Valley as well as the northern Dead Sea", he added, only to find out later that it was easier said than done.
Apart from facing a barrage of criticism and threats from the international community, as well as the Arab world who consider the chopping off of some 30 percent of the West Bank illegitimate, the prime minister also needed to flex muscles within his own conservative camp.
Settlers, who see the extension of sovereignty as the first step towards the creation of an independent Palestinian state, which they oppose, vowed to fight Netanyahu, staging multiple protests against the move.
Conservative parliamentarians, who want to see Netanyahu's downfall, have also promised not to support the bill, slated to be voted on in early July.
Without their support, the bill will not become a law, burying the promise of Netanyahu deep into the ground and forcing him look for other solutions including an attempt to break the planned annexation into stages, extending Israeli sovereignty over a limited number of settlements.
Never Say Never
Likud, however, is far from being the only player that aimed high only to realise later that Israel's political reality was far more complex than it seemed.
Benny Gantz, the leader of the Blue and White party, promised Israelis "a different leadership" that would "not sit down with Netanyahu", because the latter has been facing charges of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust in a series of graft probes that include buying positive press and receiving illegal gifts from a rich donor.
Repeating that slogan throughout three election campaigns and receiving the trust of more than a million voters, who were taken in by the dream to replace Netanyahu, Gantz finally came to the realisation that he needed to change his mantra "for the sake of all Israeli people" and the country's economy. The latter has experienced a historic plunge due to the coronavirus, leaving more than a million people jobless.
The move infuriated the masses, with some appealing to Israel's High Court suing the Defence Minister for breaching his electoral promises, a move that yielded zero results.
The promise not to sit down with "the culprit from Balfour [PM's official residence – ed.]" was also made by another player that's now part and parcel of the coalition – the head of Labour, Amir Peretz. Promising an alternative to the "corrupt Netanyahu government", he too realised that it would be better to promote his agenda from within the government, rather than sitting on the benches of the opposition, struggling to pass bills that were important to his voters.
Easier Said Than Done
So far, the only politician, who did stick to his word of not backing Netanyahu is the head of Yisrael Beitenu, Avigdor Lieberman, who opted to join the opposition after Netanyahu sealed a coalition deal with Gantz in late April.
That move positioned him as a strong politician, who doesn't mince words and doesn't zigzag.
But for some, he remains a man of lofty words and zero action. In an interview with Sputnik in October, Lieberman's former aide Danny Ayalon pointed to a series of the party chief's promises that failed to get off the ground.
These included his failure to curb the threat of Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip, his inability to implement a policy for the targeted killing of militants considered a threat to Israel's security, as well as his struggle in introducing a series of economic and social reforms that would benefit the lower echelons of society.
Similar failures have also been registered by Naftali Bennett, former defence minister, and his party Yamina. In November, he promised that Israel would no longer release the bodies of Palestinian militants killed by the country's security forces in a bid to put pressure on such terror groups as Hamas, who still holds the bodies of several Israelis.
Less than a month later Israel sent home the body of a Jordanian militant, Sami Abu Diak, prompting angry comments from members of the Jewish state's conservative camp.
On the left of Israel's political spectrum, promises have also been broken.
In August, the head of the Joint Arab List Ayman Oudeh caused an uproar after announcing he would be willing to join the coalition of Benny Gantz under certain conditions, becoming the second Arab parliamentarian to make such a dramatic move.
However, criticism from his own camp, as well as the decision by Blue and White to distance themselves from the List made Oudeh recalculate his route; and although he did throw his support behind Gantz, recommending him to the president, promises to join his government were never repeated.
The left-wing party Meretz has also shown that it did not always keep its word. Known for its determination to fight for equality between Jews and Arabs and for its desire to create an independent Palestinian state which would co-exist peacefully with Israel, the party's decision to join forces with the hawkish Orly Levy-Abekasis has been seen by many as a betrayal.
As a result many potential voters, who were traditionally associated with the party, decided to cast their votes in support of the Joint Arab List bringing it an historic 15 seats in the Israeli parliament.
