Tight Election Shows Israel’s Left Is on the Rise
The dust hasn’t settled, yet it’s clear that Netanyahu’s gamble failed while Arab Israelis and moderates have a big opportunity.
Who won?
Photographer: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
When the polls in Israel closed Tuesday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted his thanks to his supporters for carrying his Likud Party and the Israeli right to an “overwhelming victory under my leadership.” The only problem with the tweet was that it was patently false.
Surprisingly, Netanyahu actually lost ground, with Likud dropping to 30 seats from the 36 held under the short-lived coalition government formed last March. More ominously for the prime minister, the entire right-wing bloc garnered only 52 seats (of the 61 needed for a simple majority), while the anti-Bibi bloc got 57. The right is in the minority.