Israeli election open thread
Here’s a thread for commenting on the Israeli election as it develops now that the polls are closed.
Exit polls indicate a very close race, as predicted. Remember that this is a parliamentary election, with the likelihood that a coalition government will need to be formed and that therefore the Prime Minister may not be known right away, although there might be some strong indications of who it will be. But it could take a long, long time.
UPDATE 6:01 PM: Netanyahu declares a “great victory” for Likud because they’re tied with their rival party. As the Times of Israel puts it: “Likud ahead or level with Zionist Union in all 3 exit polls, better placed to build coalition; 71.8% turnout highest since 1999; delight in Likud, dismay in Zionist Union; Jewish Home slips.”
So—although it’s premature—I’d say it’s looking like (as so often has happened) when Obama backs a candidate the candidate doesn’t seem to do so well.
Too bad the same couldn’t have been said for Obama himself. The Israeli system is so complex, however, that I don’t really know if Netanyahu is out of the woods yet. But things look promising. More details here.
From what I’m hearing, Likud has the most votes. And it got enough that Netanyahu should be able to put together a coalition (the important part) without too much trouble.
It looks like Bibi made it.
Good, had they’d ousted Bibi, I’d longer given a smelly Obama about what happens to that land of Libtards.
g6loq:
It’s not a land of libtards. Even had Netanyahu lost, it wouldn’t be because liberals are in the majority in Israel. They are not.
It’s complicated, but it has to do with coalitions in the parliamentary system. The conservatives are split into many parties, and because Herzog represented a supposedly centrist view (not all that leftist), some conservative parties were willing to ally with him if he had gotten significantly more votes than the Likud did.
Glad to here will be back! The World needs an actual leader
to show the contrast we have to endure
Not good for ineptness herself Hillary , another raging example of incompetance
Opps missed the important noun “BIBI” will be back.
The media is now divided this way: Those who want Bibi re-elected, and those who don’t. Those who do have declared him the victor. Those who don’t have not.
Neo: a coalition government was a foregone conclusion. Israel has never had a government that was NOT a coalition; even David Ben-Gurion never got a majority.
(If anyone wants to make jokes about three Jews having at least four opinions, go right ahead.)
It’s true, by the way, that the Israeli political party with the most Knesset seats has an advantage. But the head of that list does not necessarily become the new Prime Minister. What happens is that the Israeli President — a largely ceremonial role, except for this — asks the leader of the party that got the most Knesset seats to form a governing coalition. If this fails, the President turns to the next-largest party, and so on.
Not long ago, the winning party was not able to form a coalition — because Labour won the plurality, and the smaller parties with whom it could try to form a coalition were largely right-of-center parties. So the second-largest winner got asked next, and they put together a coalition without too much trouble. (That was the Likud under Netanyahu. And now I’m seeing reports that he has already lined up a 64-seat coalition… the man knows what he’s doing, and doesn’t waste time.)
This reminds me of that scene in “Spaceballs” where Princess Vespa gets singed by a laser blast and hollers, “He SHOT my HAIR!!!”
IOW, too close for comfort!
I really like Bibi: he’s great, but even if he were “meh,” I’d root for him to win on the grounds of Hussein’s underhanded opposition alone.
Paint me totally unsurprised.
The ‘close’ polling was largely a creature of the media.
If the Israeli MEDIA had all the votes — Bibi would be out.
You can take it to the bank: the professional media pundits always skew way, way, way, towards jaw-jaw war. (If not ja-ja war.)
I give you the end game of the Sri Lanka ‘civil war.’
The ‘talking professionals’ hated to see that conflict end — without themselves talking it out. After decades of bloodshed, the UN ‘negotiators’ were kicked to the curb… and Sherman’s dicta held sway.
The war promptly ended with the bad guys dead. From the first to the last, the Sir Lankan civil war was a racket for the ‘insurgents.’
It was the kind of operation that Arafat knew so well.
9:43pm…Drudge says it’s looking much stronger for Bibi than exit polls were saying. Looks like the wonderful Tough Guy/Winston Churchill is going to continue as PM. THANK GOD!!!!
Bibi: How’bout killing a few dozen Hamas bastards to celebrate?!
Can ‘t remember specifics, but I seem to think Bill Climton wasn’t fond of Bibi either. I always thought both Clintom and Obama knew they were outclassed, politically, intellectually, and by way of masculinity.
Mazel tov, Bibi! I must confess I was more interested and more anxious about this election than any foreign election in my lifetime (with the possible exception of the 1996 Russian Presidential Election). The Byzantine labyrinth of Israeli politics aside, this is a great victory.
yes…Yes…YES…Y*E*S..!!!!!!!!!
Susanamantha & Ackler…AMEN to both..!!!!!
W*H*E*W…!!!!
Warrior, Leader, Moral Polar North and a BIG Set of Titanium BALLS. Bibi-Winston has what the Testicular Concavities in Western Europe and (Especially)the White House LACK. Thank God.
I am wondering if the leftist bias in press is everywhere including Israel. Were the polls consistently biased in favor of the left or were they misreported purposely to make it sound like a close election?
Bibi won a outright, landslide victory. As a parliamentary system there no doubt will be a coalition. But nonetheless the Israelis stuck it to the Great Leader in Washington.
Congratulations Bibi.
Netanyahu – 2, Obama 0. That’s gotta sting. 🙂
I think from now on, I will refer to Mr Netanyahu as “The Leader of the Free World.”
Because it’s true.
Lately I’ve been listening to Voice of Israel, Israeli English speaking talk radio over the internet. It’s interesting because I got learn a lot more about the process, the parties, and the differing views. I am no expert by any means, but Israeli’s understand very well what they are up against, both on the world stage and on the homeland.
They are ever optimistic for both a future partner in peace and a growing prosperous Israel.
They believe when Palestinians change their text books to reflect maps with the existence of Israel, Israeli’s will go to great lengths to form a two State solution.
This is not what you get from today’s NYT’s editorial, Roger Cohen’s opinion piece, or the comments section of the NYT’s.
What is clear is the Left wanted Israel to choose suicide and because they didn’t choose suicide the Left will make them pay with with further isolation, BDS, cutting off funding, & cutting military and intelligence sharing. In other words Israeli’s must pay for daring to choose life.
It’s funny I don’t remember the fuss when Hamas or Muslim Brotherhood won in Gaza and Egypt. These wins weren’t classified as victories for extremists, but Netanyahu’s victory means Israeli’s chose a “right-wing extremists” and an “Israeli society that has given up on a two-state outcome and prefers its Palestinians invisible behind barriers.”
To the Left Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood, & Iran = good. Netanyahu, Al Sisi, & Conservatives = bad.
http://obamaforwards.com/content/binary/ObamaDesert.gif