Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a victory speech to supporters of his Likud Party in the wee hours of Tuesday morning after his stunning, come-from-behind victory in Israel’s third successive elections.
Netanyahu came onstage singing his party song, and thanked his supporters for their hard work in securing the win.
“I remember our first victory in 1996. It was an historic victory,” Netanyahu said, in Hebrew. “But this victory, this time, is at least as sweet, if not sweeter. An even greater victory! Because it was a victory against all the odds.”
Netanyahu had trailed in polls until the final days, and still faces criminal indictment on corruption charges (which his supporters claim are baseless and politically motivated).
But voters rallied to his side for a variety of factors.
NYC Judge Frees Man Accused of Shooting Service Dog of Woman with Down Syndrome While Attempting to Kill Man
Big Bend border wall construction pause extended to September
DOJ Arrests Honduran Man Accused of Taking Advantage of California’s Weak Election Laws
At March on Washington, an urgent plea for black voters to turn out in the midterm elections
LGBTQ group reveals which Dem nominee is sponsoring Halloween event featuring drag shows
Appeals court denies Peter Navarro bid to rehear contempt challenge: ‘Always headed to Supreme Court’
Woman accused of defacing WWII Memorial with spray paint indicted by federal grand jury
Woody Harrelson Formally Asks UK’s New Prime Minister to Probe COVID ‘Vaccine Injury’
Watch: Dems’ New ‘Anti-Zionism’ Is Really Anti-Semitism, And It Only Takes 30 Seconds for Biggest Game Streamer in the World to Explain It
Judge throws out Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s 9/11 confession in already long wait for trial
Trump vows ‘powerful appeal’ after another federal court rejects hush money case
Three sentenced for Feeding Our Future fraud at Minnesota meal sites
Reagan-era official warns ‘red-green alliance’ has shared goal of ‘destroying’ America
Antifa-linked sites go dark after State Department terror designation of tech collective
Jerry Sandusky granted new evidentiary hearing after accuser recants testimony
One may have been the indirect influence of American politics. Israeli voters watching Democrats choose Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as their frontrunner may have been convinced to stick with their tough-minded leader. Netanyahu came to power in 2009 promising to oppose pressure from then-newly-elected President Barack Obama.
Netanyahu cited his record. “Do you know why [voters] put faith in us?” he asked. “Because they know that we brought the greatest decade in the history of the State of Israel.”
He talked about the country’s economic progress — which defied the recession that gripped much of the rest of the world — saying Israel had become “a country that is good to live in,” in terms of quality of life.
He also cited his good relationships with foreign leaders — not just with President Donald Trump, but also with Muslim nations.
One supporter waved a “Trump 2020: Keep America Great” prominently at the Likud victory party.
NYC Judge Frees Man Accused of Shooting Service Dog of Woman with Down Syndrome While Attempting to Kill Man
Big Bend border wall construction pause extended to September
DOJ Arrests Honduran Man Accused of Taking Advantage of California’s Weak Election Laws
At March on Washington, an urgent plea for black voters to turn out in the midterm elections
LGBTQ group reveals which Dem nominee is sponsoring Halloween event featuring drag shows
Appeals court denies Peter Navarro bid to rehear contempt challenge: ‘Always headed to Supreme Court’
Woman accused of defacing WWII Memorial with spray paint indicted by federal grand jury
Woody Harrelson Formally Asks UK’s New Prime Minister to Probe COVID ‘Vaccine Injury’
Watch: Dems’ New ‘Anti-Zionism’ Is Really Anti-Semitism, And It Only Takes 30 Seconds for Biggest Game Streamer in the World to Explain It
Judge throws out Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s 9/11 confession in already long wait for trial
Trump vows ‘powerful appeal’ after another federal court rejects hush money case
Three sentenced for Feeding Our Future fraud at Minnesota meal sites
Reagan-era official warns ‘red-green alliance’ has shared goal of ‘destroying’ America
Antifa-linked sites go dark after State Department terror designation of tech collective
Jerry Sandusky granted new evidentiary hearing after accuser recants testimony
Exit polls projected that Likud had won roughly 36 or 37 seats in Israel’s 120-seat Knesset, nearly enough to form a governing majority with small conservative parties. The opposition Blue and White was projected to win 33 or 33.
Though it was not clear whether Netanyahu would have enough seats to reach a coalition of 61, it was presumed that he would be able to do so — and without the help of a smaller spoiler party that had stymied him twice before.
The vote-counting process is expected to take more than 48 hours, with final results only determined by Thursday morning.
“The time has come to end the cycle of elections and to establish a government in Israel!” Netanyahu concluded.
Story cited here.
