By David Kamioner | March 4, 2020
After Israel’s third general election in a year, conservative Likud Party leader and Trump ally Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu is only three seats away from finally forming a government after the multiple election turmoil. Unofficial results will be announced within hours. Final official results will be available on Monday.
Israel has 6,453,255 eligible voters and 71% turned out for this election.
It takes 61 votes to secure a parliamentary majority and the right to govern in Israel’s 120 seat Knesset. With 99.5% of the results in, the prime minister’s Likud Party has 36 seats, its ally the orthodox religious Shas party has 9, another ally United Torah has 7, and final Team Bibi member party Yamina has 6. That is 58, three away. Each Knesset seats represents approximately 34,600 voters.
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The main opposition to Likud, the Blue and White Party has 33 seats. That number, together with its allied parties, constitutes 40 seats at this point. Not close to Netanyahu’s 58.
But parliamentary democracies are all about retail politics and deal making. That will soon come into play, again.
After three elections, and with a trial hanging over the head of Netanyahu, many Israeli voters seem to want a stable government of someone, anyone, to end this period of caretaker governments and political instability.
Demographically the main two parties are contrasts. Likud is largely made up of those Israelis whose ancestry is from the Middle East and surrounding areas. It is economically conservative, socially moderate, and a hard line on national security.
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It is also a firm American ally and Netanyahu has been especially close to President Trump. This was after years of a chilly relationship between Netanyahu and the disgraced 44th U.S. president.
Blue and White is moderate across the board. Though moderate on national security policy in Israel would be considered conservative elsewhere. It is led by Benny Gantz, a retired Israeli Army general. It is also pro-American and counts among its adherents many Israelis whose heritage springs from Europe, mainly Eastern Europe.
This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.
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