Benjamin Netanyahu makes a comeback after more than a year in opposition. With the help of far-right parties, he is likely to become prime minister again.
Bibi! Bibi! Bibi! Bibi! Bibi! Bibi!” – The calls for “King Bibi,” as Benjamin Netanyahu is called by his fans, didn’t want to get upset at the Likud election party until he finally appeared in person around 3 a.m. and let himself celebrate. Israeli flags everywhere, white and blue balloons everywhere, and the party song blared loudly from the speakers in a continuous loop.
Nevertheless, Bibi, as his enemies call him, remained cautious for the time being, as the official final result, as always in Israel, will not be known until two days after the elections. And so Netanyahu deliberately piled low when he said, “We are on the brink of a major electoral victory!”
An election win on the fifth attempt, you know. That’s how many times Israelis have had to go to the polls in the past three and a half years. Netanyahu’s Likud is expected to have 31 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, as before, the strongest faction, but failed to gain ground. Netanyahu owes the victory to the other parties from the religious right camp. First and foremost itamar Ben-Gvir’s religious Zionist party, Jewish Power, came in third. The left-liberal newspaper Haaretz speaks of a “shock triumph for the far right”.
Itamar Ben-Gvir has several previous convictions for incitement to hatred and has had his followers parade through Jerusalem’s old city chanting “death to all Arabs.” Now he hopes to become Secretary of Security in Netanyahu’s new government. His plans are already ringing alarm bells in the US and the EU: he wants to annex the entire West Bank, expel all unwelcome Arabs, occupy the highest court politically and – as a treat for Bibi – abolish the offense of disloyalty to politicians. That is why Netanyahu is on trial. With his majority in the Knesset, he now hopes to be able to drop the proceedings as he sees himself as politically persecuted – a view shared by many of his supporters.
The current incumbent head of government, Jair Lapid, and his future party increased their mandate from 17 to 24, but still fared worse than expected. All in all, it just wasn’t enough for the previous multi-party anti-Netanyahu bloc. For now, Lapid is trying to keep hopes high – until the last vote is counted.
The key question here is which of the small parties can still pass the 3.25 percent threshold for joining the Knesset, which could lead to a redistribution of seats.
After the official election results are known, President Isaac Herzog will give the order to form a government. As things stand, Netanyahu will be given that order.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
