Will Israel’s Election Help the Peace Process?

Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Only in Israel can a politician loseby winning. It seems, as I write this, that Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu’s ticket -- his Likud party, plus AvigdorLieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu -- will have won about 31 Knessetseats in today’s election, which would put it comfortably aheadof its nearest competitor.

But the results, if early exit polls are to be believed,mean that Netanyahu is no longer King of Israel. He lost votesto his right, to the pro-settlement Jewish Home party of NaftaliBennett, and he lost centrist voters (those who wish for, amongother things, a two-state solution with the Palestinians,without quite believing it is possible) to the Yesh Atid partyof the former television broadcaster Yair Lapid, who is the realstory of this campaign.