People call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “the magician.”
Israeli Attorney General Avihai Mandelblit had already served notice that he plans to indict Netanyahu on multiple counts of bribery and fraud. Former Israeli armed forces chief Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, who has a reputation for integrity, had convinced many in Israel that Netanyahu had to go.
However, the scandals were not enough to sink Netanyahu’s bid to become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. His nationalist base rallied to his aid, cushioning him against likely charges, and if current trends hold, he would have led Likud to one of its best showings ever in Tuesday’s closely fought elections.
Photo: AFP
Gantz has yet to concede defeat, but with 98 percent of votes counted, Netanyahu’s alliance with right-wing and religious parties is on track to secure 65 seats in the 120-seat parliament, or Knesset, giving him a clear path to form the next government.
“People say: I don’t care if he is corrupt or not, I don’t care if he took a few cigars or presents, the main thing is that, from my point of view, the economy is growing and there is security,” Ariel University lecturer Erez Cohen said.
The election result could ripple across a volatile region. Peacemaking with the Palestinians has stalled under Netanyahu’s watch. He opted to improve Israel’s ties with Gulf Arab states by leveraging a shared distrust of Iran.
A US peace plan, which US President Donald Trump’s administration says would present new solutions to break the impasse, is expected to be unveiled shortly after the election.
Just ahead of polling, Netanyahu pitched for right-wing voters who might be tempted to back other nationalist factions, suggesting that he could annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank that Palestinians want for the heartland of a future state.
Palestine Liberation Organization veteran official Hanan Ashrawi said Israelis had chosen racism and permanent conflict.
“They have chosen an overwhelmingly right-wing, xenophobic and anti-Palestinian parliament to represent them,” she said. “Israelis chose to entrench and expand apartheid.”
The final tally is unlikely to be announced before today, as about 200,000 votes cast by Israeli soldiers could take longer to filter through and produce some last-minute surprises.
After declaring victory early in the night, Gantz’s Blue and White party watched as the numbers turned against them in a knife-edge vote. By morning, Gantz admitted that the odds were not in his favor, but issued a statement to supporters saying that the movement was only at the beginning of its journey.
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