With so much American news focused on the new coronavirus and the Democratic presidential primaries, far less attention has attended Israel’s March 2 elections than the contests merit. Here’s hoping Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu somehow wins reelection for one, and only one, final term.

Israel always is far more important than its size, both for cultural and religious reasons, and because it is a bulwark of liberty and a source of vital intelligence in a region dangerously hostile, historically, to the West. Israel’s internal politics may be particularly important now, because a growing de facto alliance between Israel and moderate Arab or Muslim states increasingly is boxing in Iran’s mullahs and providing the greatest chance in more than a century for regional peace and stability.