“Israeli” Elections: Bibi Wins, Suffers Setback

Local Editor




In a stunning setback, “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line bloc fared worse than expected in a parliamentary election Tuesday, exit polls showed.

This would possibly force the Netanyahu to invite moderate rivals into his government.

The exit polls showed the hard-liners with 61 seats in the 120-seat parliament, a bare majority, and the counts could change as actual votes are tallied.

In details, the joint Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu ticket was able to secure 31 Knesset seats, a significant drop from pre-election polls that predicted the ruling party and its ally would win 42 mandates.

Despite, the setback, Netanyahu gave a victory speech shortly after midnight, saying: "I'm proud to be your prime minister. I thank you for giving me a chance, for the third time, to lead “Israel”. It is a great privilege and a great responsibility."

Tuesday's true victory was, however, journalist-turned-politician Yair Lapid, whose party, Yesh Atid [There is a future] party, was able to win 19 mandates; cementing its status as the second-largest party in the Knesset.

Lapid’s surprise showing could make him a key minister should he decide to join Netanyahu’s government.

A Likud official said Netanyahu phoned Lapid after the results and told him, “We have the opportunity to do great things together.”

Meanwhile, labor was also able to rehabilitate its position, winning 15 seats and becoming the Knesset's third-largest party.

Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich insisted Tuesday that "There is a high probability of a (political) upset."

According to a tally of 99.5% of the votes, the results are as follows:

Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu: 31

Yesh Atid: 19

Labor: 15

Shas: 11

Habayit Hayehudi: 11

United Torah Judaism: 7

Hatnua: 6

Meretz: 6

United Arab List-Taal: 5

Hadash: 4

Balad: 3

Kadima: 2

Nearly 67 percent of “Israel’s” 5.5 million voters took part, more than in previous elections.

If Netanyahu relies only on the religious and hard-line parties, it means constant fights with the opposition over social programs. If he tries to team up with the centrists, it means battles with the ultra-Orthodox over subsidies, as well as internal sniping over talks with the Palestinians.

Some predicted Netanyahu might even fail to form a government.

“Netanyahu’s victory is a pyrrhic victory, and it is not clear he will be the next prime minister,” said “Israeli” political analyst Yaron Ezrahi.

“Netanyahu will face difficulty in constructing a viable coalition,” Ezrahi said, estimating the life span of the next “Israeli” government at no more than 18 months.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org

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