Israeli election: Netanyahu seems about to return to power
Most of the votes in the Israeli election have been counted, and it’s looking good for Netanyahu:
looked set to return to power on Wednesday after an unprecedented fifth general election in less than four years on Tuesday gave his Likud Party, and others loyal to him, a narrow majority in the country’s parliament, the Knesset.
A victory for the longest-serving Israeli leader, who was ousted to the opposition more than a year ago, means he will now be able to form a stable and ideologically aligned coalition, which critics are already calling the most right-wing government in Israel’s 74-year history. With over ninety percent of the votes counted it looks like the Likud leader will be asked to form the next government.
In his celebratory speech as the results became clearer, Netanyahu thanked those who supported him and called the win a “massive vote of confidence from the Israeli public.” He also declared he would form a coalition with the “national camp,” a collection of controversial right-wing religious and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties that have committed to join him in forming a strong and stable government.
That Fox article I linked also mentioned Netanyahu’s legal struggles, but only way down in the article and quite briefly. But those legal difficulties actually were instrumental in causing his defeat by his predecessors, who also tricked those who voted for them by forming a coalition with groups with which they had promised not to ally. The corruption case against Netanyahu, not described in detail, was a lawfare hit job by his enemies and so far has gone nowhere when finally tested in court, as described by Caroline Glick in this article from last May:
Netanyahu’s trial opened last April. Last May he was ousted from office. To date, some 15 prosecution witnesses have taken the stand, and one by one, they have not merely demolished every aspect of the prosecution’s charges against Netanyahu, they have exposed the full partnership of police investigators and state prosecutions in their joint mission to “get Netanyahu,” that is, to oust him from power, at all costs.
The whole thing is worth reading.
I read a number of other articles about the Israeli election and Netanyahu’s victory, and most omitted any mention of lawfare and why he lost power last time. Also, good old Google prioritized coverage from the left, and plenty of it. For example, the Guardian’s headline reads “Election result marks dangerous new turn in Israel’s rightward shift.” Oh ye self-styled guardians, “dangerous” to whom? To Israel’s enemies? The article goes on to detail the more extreme views of Netanyahu’s allies, and they are indeed extreme. But later, it mentions that Netanyahu doesn’t share these views. He’s a pretty strong personality and my guess is that he will continue the sort of thing that he’s done in the past and will not suddenly veer to the far far religious right.
Like Biden, Trump, and Lula, Netanyahu is no spring chicken: he’s 73. However, his mind is sharp, unlike the first man on that list. At some point, though, Netanyahu’s dominance of Israeli politics must end. But not now – unless one of those bizarre and tricky moves for which Israeli parliamentary politics is famous takes place.
It is not an overstatement to say this is critical for world peace. Bibi will be much more effective in countering the Bidenistas sell out on Iran than the Leftists.
Unfortunately there’s still some remaining Israeli political craziness.
From the Times of Israel story on the election
“The critical remaining factor was the fate of the left-wing Meretz party and the hardline Arab party Balad, which were both hovering barely under the 3.25% minimal electoral threshold. Meretz was predicted to get 3.19% while Balad was at 3.01%, meaning that as it stands, both parties will not be in the next Knesset
“The only scenario that could thwart the Netanyahu bloc’s majority is if both Meretz and Balad end up above the threshold and if fellow left-wing Labor party — currently at 3.57% — doesn’t fall below it. Channel 12 pollster Mano Gevo said Wednesday morning that the overall division of seats between the blocs was unlikely to change significantly, although further shifts in party totals were possible.
Bob:
Later reports are that, although a couple of those small parties have reached the threshold (or at least one of them, anyway), not enough of them will reach the threshold to be able to stop Netanyahu.
Neo:
The article goes on to detail the more extreme views of Netanyahu’s allies, and they are indeed extreme.
———————–
No they are not.
It’s the Grauniad, delivering a cherry-picked list with bosom-heaving, pearl-clutching drama.
These “extremists” just proved themselves the 3rd largest party in Israel – and got a large crossover vote from non-religious people under 45, who will be called back into uniform when Israel fights its way out of the mess created by the feckless “progressive” coalition just voted out.
Ben-Gvir – who is best remembered in Israel for bringing busloads of illegal immigrants to a swimming pool in posh North Tel-Aviv, as Rick Santorum did in Martha’s Vineyard – taunted aging Marxists with the slogan “your kids are voting for us”. And the numbers back him up.
He “toted a pistol” while touring major cities in which Jews suffered pogroms and vandalism at the hands of their embolded, radicalized Arab Israeli neighbors… a “BLM” movement that completely gutted the notion that “good” Arabs with Israeli citizenship have accepted Israel’s right to exist.
Ben-Gvir’s coalition partner, Bezalel Smotrich, distinguished himself as transportation minister, efficiently fast-tracking road and rail construction during the Covid lockdowns, when roads were clear.
Their Zionist party wants to challenge illegal Palestinian construction in “Area C” which was to remain neutral under the Oslo accords… this land grab is also accompanied by waves of violence and agricultural terrorism.
Only an outlet like the Guardian – whose starting point is Israel’s fundamental illegitimacy – would call these positions “extremist”.
As in other countries, the vast majority of the country is united against the radical LGBT agenda pushed by an openly gay Minister of Health – whose Meretz party is now struggling to pass the minimum threshold to take seats in the Knesset… a sign that many on the Israeli left also reject the sexualization of children…. only the Guardian would consider that “extremist”.
Glick’s observation that the trial exposed, “the full partnership of police investigators and state prosecutions in their joint mission to “get Netanyahu” reveals that with the exception of Hungary, Israel like all the other major western nations… has a serious Deep State problem.
Sorry – I meant DeSantis, not Santorum.
It’s well past time for Bibi to make room for successors. Not because he’s been a bad PM, but because it’s healthier for a democracy to change up leadership now and then.
But the reality is that Bibi has assiduously avoided making room for successors. So the choice for PM was between him and Lapid, not between Lapid and some successor to Bibi. Bibi, for all his faults, is a stronger, more Zionist choice than Lapid.
Betzalel Smotrich was a remarkably responsive transportation minister. People who encountered transportation problems were invited to contact him, and when they did, he dealt with the problems. I respect politicians who work on their actual area of responsibility.
And yes, GB, Israel has a serious Deep State problem.
More like a serious Deep Fried State problem…with all that felafel (even if not as popular as once upon a time) and, in season, filled (jelly, nutella, sweet cream, etc.)—though not necessarily—donuts… (I personally prefer etc.).
Never very easy, though, when EVERYONE thinks he’s / she’s / it’s / they’re the Prime Minister…(and the elites believe they are entitled to [fill in the blank] because they’re, well, [fill in another] and/or they have a lock on the Supreme Court(?))
But not to worry overly! The fearless Caroline Glick is on it….
https://carolineglick.com/
…and then there’re these courageous fellows:
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/author/Khaled+Abu+Toameh
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/author/Bassam+Tawil
…all waiting to tell you everything you never particularly wanted to know about that mosh pit also known as the Levant/Near East/Middle East…
Why should any Israeli, or Jew anywhere give credence to Jew hating news sources like The Guardian?
The problem is sarid and bennett have proven themselves unworthy in the last two years of course carolyn groks the bigger agenda
Well the votes are pretty much counted and defeat has been conceded by his opponent.
So the American Legacy Corporate Main Stream Media is taking this opportunity, a week before our midterms, to start shrieking out that OMIGOD, Israel has re-elected Bibi, and it’s going to be an extreme right-wing government that’s formed, I mean maybe even the most extreme right-wing government that’s ever been formed in Israel !!! . You’ve heard of cheap thrills before, but right now the ALCMSM is after hyping up cheap scares in the reign-of-terror press. I’m just waiting to see if some intern is ignorant enough to start labeling Netanyahu as ‘Hitler’, of maybe dust off the dreaded ‘N’-word.
Caroline Glick with Gadi Taub have a post-election wrapup conversation (they’re cheerful for a change — which, I’m happy for them, as their cheer is well deserved): https://youtu.be/o8gii4snL0U