Israel Election Results: Netanyahu's Bloc Fails to Secure Majority as 91% of Votes Counted

According to the partial results, Kahol Lavan won 32 out of 120 Knesset seats, with Likud behind with 31 seats. Netanyahu's bloc, comprised of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties, currently stands at 55 seats. The center-left bloc has 56 seats.

Avigdor Lieberman, whose Yisrael Beiteinu party is projected nine seats, is expected to be the election's kingmaker. On Wednesday morning, he reiterated his support for a "broad liberal unity government," which would include Yisrael Beiteinu, Likud and Kahol Lavan.

Source

I'm surprised this isn't being discussed on here. It looks like the Netanyahu era is finally coming to an end. Honestly, it's about time.

This is still developing, so nothing is guaranteed yet. But I will be interested to see what happens to him without his position to protect him. He does have a pending corruption scandal hanging over his head.

originally posted by: Xcalibur254

I'm surprised this isn't being discussed on here. It looks like the Netanyahu era is finally coming to an end. Honestly, it's about time.

T

Why? Israel has a superb economy under Bibi along with proper security that never existed before him. Buses in Tel Aviv don't blow up these days for a reason.

I wouldn't write him off just yet................. At some point in the future I bet Bibi's back

a reply to: Xcalibur254


Wouldn't count Benny out just yet.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Sadly the people of Israel didn't deliver a crushing blow , perhaps Lieberman will.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

I for one will miss the Looney Tune's bomb filled up with marker fundraiser style.

a reply to: ufoorbhunter

Why? Israel has a superb economy under Bibi along with proper security that never existed before him.

That would be a question for the Israeli voters.

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: Xcalibur254

I for one will miss the Looney Tune's bomb filled up with marker fundraiser style.

Bibi's not gone yet.............. He can make some new promises like annex the whole of the world

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Israel is far safer these days due to Bibi When the buses start going up again and Hezbollah kick off in the north, he'll be back

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Hopefully that's true. Considering Netanyahu's history I wouldn't be surprised if the remaining votes suddenly all swing his way.

a reply to: ufoorbhunter

Not if he's in prison.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Too right

Bibi needs a miracle. He's going to find it difficult to bring the arab bloc on side, or the Russian bloc after falling out with Lieberman. The religious bloc? Looks like he's up against it big time.

What I do find incredibly coincedental is all this stuff going on with Iran........................ Could anything 'suddenly' kicking off help save him?

originally posted by: ufoorbhunter
a reply to: CriticalStinker

Israel is far safer these days due to Bibi

When the buses start going up again and Hezbollah kick off in the north, he'll be back

I'm American, though from what I've read, you seem to be right or close to right.

Maybe the Israeli's perceive technology as playing more of a role than Bibi himself. Maybe they have other priorities. I go to their news outlets (I try and do one left one right) whenever I'm looking into things regarding Israel.

But an election has a lot of nuance, I won't try and say what the reasons for them (at the time just kind of stalemating) the government is.

There was never any chance that Netanyahu would win a majority.
In Isreal it's about the party who wins the most votes and whether they can form a coalition.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Know where you're coming from regarding technology, sure is helping resolve things on the security front, especially the wall of seperation which has reduced terror attacks coming in from Judea and Samaria massively.

Most electorates get tired with their leaders after a couple of terms, Bibi's done well to last this long. The price of living over there has got to have something to do with the way people have voted too,the wages on average are pretty normal, the cost of living is definitely not lol! Holy smoke, everyone bar the Russian Oligarch's spends everything they got just to get by and that must have played a part

a reply to: UKTruth

Actually, it's about gathering enough support to be task by the President to establish a Government backed by at least 61 MKs.
Under the Israeli system, the Israeli President will consult the leaders of all parties represented in the new Knesset on who they think should be tasked with forming a Government. He will then task the MK who he thinks has the greatest chance to do so (= has the most recommendations behind him). The politician in question will then try to establish a coalition with a majority in the Knesset.
It's not at all unusual for partys who recommended someone else for PM to join the eventual coalition. And vise versa, parties who recommended the next PM to the President might not join the coalition.

This time neither Gantz nor Netanyahu have a majority. It doesn't matter at all whether Blue and White or Likud are tied of Blue and White is 1 seat in front. Only recommendations matter in the next phase.
As of today it looks like Netanyahu has his troops lined up, Likud, Shas, UTJ and Yamina - thats 31+9+8+7 = 55 seats for the right excluding Lieberman.
If we assume Gantz gobbles up everyone else including the Arabs - Blue and White, Joint List, Labor-Gesher and Democratic Union, thats 56 seats.
So Rivlin (who doesnt like Netanyahu very much) will nominate Gantz to try to form a Government. IF Gantz can convince the Arabs to nominate him which i probably think he'll be able to.

So on to phase 3, if Gnat gets the nomination that doesn't mean he can form a Government. It'll will fall back to Lieberman and the 9 seats of Yisrael Beitenu.
Lieberman has been clear on what he wants - a secular government without Arabs. He reaffirmed his stance post election and thus for there is no indication he changes his mind.
So that leaves JointList, Shas and UTJ out in the cold 13+9+8=30 seats.
Gantz cannot form a left wing secular government. Even if he convinced Democratic Union (Meratz, the progressive left) to sit with right wing Lieberman (not much is impossible in Israeli politics) he has no majority - Blue and White, Yisrael Beitenu, Labor, DU - 52 seats.
Ehud Barak (former Prime Minister now head of the Democratic Union) brought up the idea of a minority left wing government tolerated by the Arabs today but i think this is a pipedream.
Gantz already said today that he'll try to establish a unity Government. Obviously based on the numbers he wouldnt even need Lieberman to do that since Likud and Blue and White have a clear majority. The easiest solution would be for Gantz and Netanyahu to work out a shared Premiership between them - Netanyahu gets to be PM until he is forced to resign to face the courts and Gantz replaced him or something similar.
But it's Israeli politics. A lot of would depend on how skilled Gantz is at playing the game. So far he hasnt showed much promise in that regard.
He could try to split up Likud, get enough MKs to abandon Netanyahu and join a unity coalition with him and Lieberman. I doubt very much he would win that fight against a skilled and ruthless politician like Netanyahu. He wont lose Likud without burning the house down IMO.
So say Netanyahu can hold out and Gantz fails to establish a unity coalition with Likud. Rivilin would eventually (by law) be forced to give Netanyahu a try at forming a Government. Netanyahu too has options. He could try to pull over Labor-Gesher. Or ousting Gantz and/or break up Blue and White.
Not entirely likley but its a great game to play.

Anyway, I don’t think it was possible for Lieberman to screw Netanyahu more than he did. As ruthless a politician Bibi is, he beaten at his own game by a Russian bouncer. Fun country.

a reply to: mightmight

Thank you for this deeply insightful analysis of Israeli politics.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Yeah well, we’ll see how insightful this was.
The situation is evolving after all and at this point nobody can confidently predict how this will play out.

Netanyahu doubled down on it’s my way or the highway yesterday. He got the right wing parties and the orthodox to act as a unified right wing bloc and set up a joint negotiation team. The expressed goal is to rule out any sort of liberal/secular unity government by not giving an inch. They hope that President Rivlin would give Netanyahu the nod to form a government since he directly controls the strongest political alliance able to speak with a single voice, while Gantz is on much shakier ground with supposed support from the liberal left, Arabs and right wing Yisrael Beiteinu.

It wouldn’t call this approach desperate, but Netanyahu certainly seems to have chosen his hill to die on. At least at this point he’s hell bent on not moving an inch to the center and offer an olive branch to Blue and White. Ironically the hard line stance makes his worst case scenario somewhat more likely – if the right wing/orthodox bloc remains steadfast behind Netanyahu, the only alternative is a Gantz led leftist minority Government tolerated by the Joint List. Netanyahu is betting hard on Gantz no being able to go down that route and sell that to Lieberman.

Lieberman may go for it though, if only just to spite Netanyahu. But also keep in mind, Netanyahu he can always soften his stance later on during the coalition brokering phase. Everything that happens now is aimed at persuading President Rivlin, but at some point somebody has to give. There is no way forward without somebody abandoning their pre election promises.

So looks like Netanyahu hold the line.
To begin with, he just got tapped by Rivlin to try to form the next government.
There is still no path forward for anyone though, since unity talks seem to have collapsed.
Apparently Netanyahu wanted to remain Prime Minister for now, handing the office over to Gantz at some point in the future. Blue and White didnt go for that.
Or rather, apparently Blue and Whites 2nd in command Yair Lapid didnt want that. At least according to rumors Likud is spreading atm. Who knows if thats true.

But i only gets better, there is also some speculation in the Iseaeli media (Haaretz) that Rivlin wont even give Gantz an chance to form a government after Netanyahu fails at doing so, but instead go immediately for a third election.
Which would basically be what Netanyhau wants i guess, but i just cant wrap my mind around the idea of him running while under indictment. Which will be handed down next months if nothing unexpected happens.

I mean seriously, love the guy or hate him, he must realize his time has come. He may or may not be defeated at the polls, but he cannot hope to beat the looming charges against him in court. Whether they are exaggerated by a leftist judiciary is irrelevant at this point. I mean if i where him my priority would be on somehow avoiding jailtime. History wont give a grap about whether he managed to hang unto the office for another year, but if he ends up in jail after dragging his country through three elections that will be his legacy.
The simple and obvious solution here would be some sort of 'i go - but not to jail' deal between him and the President. Rivlin could pardon him if it came to that.
And if he remains in good health he could even run (and probably win) again in a couple of years.

a reply to: mightmight

Who knows what Netanyahu is going to be in creating the next Israeli government. At leats he's got a fighting chance and a cornered animal will usually do a deal anything to avoid being eaten. The 'Comeback Kid' is still in the fight

a reply to: Xcalibur254

I thought Benjamin Netanyahu WON, which is why the liberal media suddenly stopped talking about the Israel election. (Like they always do when Netanyahu wins)