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00:00. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU HAS WON A LANDSLIDE VICTORY IN THE RACE TO LEAD HIS LIKUD PARTY, WITH 72% OF THE VOTE AFTER A CHALLENGE FROM A FORMER CABINET MINISTER, GIDEON SAAR. A MUCH-NEEDED BOOST FOR THE PRIME MINISTER WHO WAS INDICTED ON FRAUD AND BRIBERY CHARGES IN NOVEMBER. NETANYAHU WILL LEAVE THE PARTY INTO THE THIRD IS REALLY ELECTION IN -- ISRAELI ELECTION IN ONE YEAR. MICHAEL JOINS US NOW. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANT OF THIS LATEST WIN FOR NETANYAHU? MICHAEL: I THINK WHAT IT SHOWS IS THE EXTENT OF HIS GRIP ON THE LIKUD PARTY. EVEN THOUGH HE HAS LED THEM TO TWO INCONCLUSIVE ELECTIONS WHERE HE WAS NOT ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER A GOVERNMENT, AND WE SAW THIS CHALLENGE TO HIS LEADERSHIP, THE FACT HE WAS ABLE TO WIN WITH SUCH OVERWHELMING SUPPORT SHOWS THERE ' S REALLY NOT APPETITE IN THE PARTY TO DEPOSE HIM, AND THEY WILL LEAD THE PARTY FOR THE NEXT ELECTION, TOO. MATT: HEADING INTO A THIRD ELECTION IN UNDER A YEAR. DOES THIS GIVE US ANY CLUES AS TO HOW THIS WILL GO? MICHAEL: YES. WHAT I THINK IT SAYS IS WE ARE PROBABLY HEADING TO ANOTHER DEADLOCK. WHAT WE SAW LAST TIME, NETANYAHU SUCCEEDED IN FORMING THIS GIGANTIC BLOC OF RIGHT-WING PARTIES, 55 SEATS THAT WERE ALL SORT OF PLEDGED TO ONE ANOTHER TO NEGOTIATE AT THE HEAD OF A BLOC. HE WAS NOT ABLE TO QUITE GET PAST THE FINISH LINE, BUT UNLESS THERE ' S A MARKET CHANGE IN HIS LEGAL PREDICAMENT BETWEEN NOW AND MARCH, WE ARE HEADING FOR A SIMILAR SITUATION WHERE NEITHER THE RIGHT NOR THE LEFT CAN FORM A GOVERNMENT. I THINK THE OPPOSITION HEAD, BENNY GANTZ, HAS TO THINK REALLY SERIOUSLY ABOUT BROADENING HIS OWN COALITION TO INCLUDE THE LABOUR PARTY, PERHAPS SOME OF THE ARAB PARTIES. TO OVERCOME THE RIGHT WING BLOC, HE HAS TO DO THE SAME THING ON THE LEFT OF THE ISRAELI POLITICAL SPECTRUM AS WELL. MATT: WHAT DOES NETANYAHU ' S VICTORY MEAN FOR THE CHANCES OF PEACE IN THE REGION? ISRAEL HAS BEEN A VERY SECURE PLACE OVER THE DECADE HE HAS LED THE COUNTRY. IS THAT SET TO CONTINUE? MICHAEL: THERE ' S ACTUALLY VERY LITTLE DIFFERENCE IN DIPLOMATIC PLANS BETWEEN NETANYAHU AND GANTZ. BOTH SAY THERE ' S NOT A REAL PARTNER FOR PEACE ON THE PALESTINIAN SIDE AND BOTH SEE A HIGH CHANCE OF WAR WITH IRAN. TWO THINGS COME UP. ONE, THE POSSIBILITY THAT IF NETANYAHU FEELS HIS GRIP ON POWER IS SLIPPING COULD PRECIPITATE SOME MILITARY ENGAGEMENT. GENERALLY ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER ' S HAVE AVOIDED THAT BECAUSE THAT IS A ROUTE TO BEING TOSSED OUT OF OFFICE, BUT IT FEELING DESPERATE, WHO KNOWS WHAT HE MIGHT DO. HE ' S ALSO TALKED ABOUT ANNEXING LAND IN THE WEST BANK, SOMETHING THAT APPEALS TO HIS RIGHT WING VOTERS. SO I THINK AS THE NEXT ELECTION GETS CLOSER, THERE ' S A CHANCE WE COULD SEE SOME DRAMATIC ANNOUNCEMENT, ESPECIALLY REGARDING THE WEST BANK. .

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Netanyahu Wins Party Leadership Race

Israel’s legally embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a much-needed boost with a landslide victory in the race to lead his Likud party. The prime minister will now lead Likud into Israel’s third election in less than a year on March 2. Michael Arnold reports on "Bloomberg Markets: European Open." (Source: Bloomberg)

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