Is Bibi Back as Prime Minister?

For John, BLUF:  Elections sometimes don't go as expected.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From The Jersulam Post this morning we have this headline—"Israeli elections take dramatic turn as official tally gives Likud sweeping victory".  That would be the party headed by current Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.

The Israeli elections took a dramatic turn in the early morning hours on Wednesday as official tallies from nearly all precincts indicate that Likud has opened up a significant lead over Zionist Union, a far cry from the virtual dead heat that television exit polls had reported Tuesday evening.

The other thing to notice is that Likud is "the clear winner" with only 30 seats in the 120 seat legislature, the Knesset.  That works out to 25%.  And, 30 represents a gain of 12 seats from the current 18 Likud holds in the Knesset.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting before dawn on Wednesday, the Likud has emerged as the clear, undisputed victor in the elections.

According to the official up-to-the-minute tally, Likud wins 30 seats while Zionist Union comes in second at 24 seats.

The parties that follow are Joint Arab List (14); Yesh Atid (11); Kulanu (10); Bayit Yehudi (8); Shas (7); United Torah Judaism (6); Yisrael Beytenu (6); and Meretz (4).

For those who dislike our two party system, consider the confusion, and the compromise, needed to keep Israel on track.

One assumes this is not the outcome the Obama Administration was hoping for.  Prime Minister Netanyahu has been a strong and constant opponent of the President's negotiating approach to Iran's nuclear development program.  And, Prime Minister Netanyahu is opposed to the US backed two-state solution to the Palestine problem.

Regards  —  Cliff