Final results: Netanyahu's Likud scores decisive victory in Israeli election

[FBaggins]

With nearly all votes counted, Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party is set to emerge as the election's big winner with 30 seats. The Zionist Union trails behind with 24 seats. The Joint List of Arab parties is the third-largest party at this point, followed by Yesh Atid, Kulanu, Habayit Hayehudi, Shas, Yisrael Beiteinu, United Torah Judaism, Meretz and Yahad.


Live updates:

11:15 A.M. MK Shelly Yacimovich says Isaac Herzog told her that the Zionist Union won't join a Likud-led government. "This morning I spoke with Herzog and he explicitly told me that we are going to the opposition," she told Army Radio.

Yacimovich, a former Labor leader, says, following the election results, that teaming up with Tzipi Livni was a right call, but argued that too many concessions were made. (Jonathan Lis)

10:45 A.M. Meretz No. 2 Ilan Gilon says he does not accept Galon's resignation and is not prepared to take on chairmanship of the party in her stead. (Haaretz)

9:56 A.M. Meretz chief Zehava Galon officially announces that she will resign from chairmanship in the wake of the election results.

9:30 A.M. Senior Palestinian officials tell Haaretz that the fact Israelis reelected Netanyahu after he declared that there will be no Palestinian state means that Israel is not a partner for peace. The international community needs to realize that and stop defending Netanyahu and his policy, they added. (Jack Khoury) Read full story


http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel-election-2015/1.647304

Galon reportedly is giving up her seat in the Knesset, as well as party leadership.

"This is a very difficult moment for me,” she added. “I had hoped that Meretz would preserve its strength and even more than that, I hoped that we could set up an alternative government, and end the Netanyahu era.”


Galon said that it would be wrong to say that the voters have disappointed Meretz. "The citizens of Israel do not owe me anything, and I owe them everything. If the Israeli public chose to cut down Meretz's size, if it chose to give Netanyahu another term in office, I am the only one who needs to reach conclusions from that. It is the responsibility of Meretz as a party to search its soul and find anew its compass and direction.”

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/192815#.VQlX25UtFaQ

[brush]

1. I'm trying to understand the election results

What does Netanyahu's last minute lurch to the extreme right with his racist warning about "Arab voters" and his declaration that there would be no Palestinian state say about the Israeli state?

It's disappointing that Israeli voters bought into that naked, racist appeal.

Let's not kid ourselves, it's an apartheid state and the vote to put Netanyahu and Likud back in validates that.

How long is the US supposed to keep pouring billions into propagating this?

[djean111]

2. Was it a "lurch" to the extreme right, or just a confirmation that he is extreme right? And so is

Israel.
Hopefully we will stop supporting this, but politicians do love them some money and power. No one is going to buck AIPAC, even though, it seems to me, it is American money that they are just giving back, buying influence.

[brush]

3. You're right. It's a confirmation

There seems to be an unspoken, in public at least, understanding that having and backing a right wing, apartheid, nulcear-armed state smack in the center of the Middle East is an extension and attempt at control over the oil region and the POC there.

At his core, I believe Obama see this for what it is, thus the friction with Netanyahu.

He knows it's a fu_ked up situation and that he can't wave a wand to fix it, but he's trying to stabilize it somewhat with the Iran talks.

The repugs and Netanyahu, all of the same warmongering ilk, of course are against any diplomatic solution as it denies war profiteering opportunities for their defense contractor clients.

[FBaggins]

4. That's how confirmation bias usually works

No reason to be surprised.

There seems to be an unspoken, in public at least, understanding that having and backing a right wing, apartheid, nulcear-armed state smack in the center of the Middle East is an extension and attempt at control over the oil region and the POC there.

Nah... it's rather the recognition that there are other forces throughout the Middle East and Israel is the least right-wing of the options.

At his core, I believe Obama see this for what it is, thus the friction with Netanyahu.

And yet he missed the fact that that very friction may have given Netanyahu his clear victory (and pushed him into the recent position changes).

[brush]

5. I don't think Obama missed it

It just that he can't and doesn't try to control the Israeli electorate, not being a fan of speaking uninvited before the Knesset.

And as another poster stated, Netanyahu's last-ditch racist and right wing public statements warning of "Arab voters" and guaranteeing no Palestinian state has been his position all along. He just never had to publicly acknowledge it but fear of losing the election forced his hand to seem to change his position.

And another even more disturbing observation from the other poster is that Herzog's position on the 2-state solution is much the same as Netanyahu's.

[geek tragedy]

6. Well, duh, a black guy with whose name is Arab in origin is always going to be a political

punching bag in Israel.

But spare us the "Obama is to blame for Netanyahu being a racist apartheid asshole" line.

Netanyahu adopted those positions because they're popular in Israel.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

7. Three cheers for Israeli colonialism, racism and apartheid!

No partner for peace!

No partner for peace!

No partner for peace!



Well, Israel is now the right wingers naughty dream. I hope that they do realize that sanctions may be coming sooner than later.

[geek tragedy]

8. Netanyahu decided to be leader of the Israelis rather than someone acceptable

to the rest of the world.

He is Israel.