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.
Major Car Maker Issues Recall Over Engine Issue That Could Make Vehicle Stall
EXCLUSIVE: Collins pits record built in Maine potato fields against Platner’s ‘angry rhetoric’
Why This Tech Company Wants to Release 32 Million Mosquitos Into the US
Kennedy Center takes down Trump’s name: Photos
Kennedy Center workers start to remove Trump’s name after overnight deadline
Talarico touts Texas roots as out-of-state cash powers Senate campaign
‘Hell on wheels’ killer Mackenzie Shirilla lands prison job while serving life sentence for fatal 2022 crash
James Talarico Calls Biden’s Border ‘Utter Chaos’ In Attempted Immigration Rebrand
Menendez brothers eyed $20M insurance payout after parents’ murders, Jose’s ex-business partner claims
Rahm Emanuel road-tests emphasis on policy over Trump-hatred
Who is Bill Essayli, the hard-charging prosecutor at the center of California’s election fight?
Platner’s ‘deranged’ response to Musk becoming a trillionaire sparks online outrage: ‘Loserthink’
Op-Ed: What the Court Refused to Say About Your Money
Trump administration attempts to ramp up Alaska oil and gas drilling
WATCH: House Dems blame racism, ‘all-White’ jury for Karmelo Anthony’s guilty verdict
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.
Major Car Maker Issues Recall Over Engine Issue That Could Make Vehicle Stall
EXCLUSIVE: Collins pits record built in Maine potato fields against Platner’s ‘angry rhetoric’
Why This Tech Company Wants to Release 32 Million Mosquitos Into the US
Kennedy Center takes down Trump’s name: Photos
Kennedy Center workers start to remove Trump’s name after overnight deadline
Talarico touts Texas roots as out-of-state cash powers Senate campaign
‘Hell on wheels’ killer Mackenzie Shirilla lands prison job while serving life sentence for fatal 2022 crash
James Talarico Calls Biden’s Border ‘Utter Chaos’ In Attempted Immigration Rebrand
Menendez brothers eyed $20M insurance payout after parents’ murders, Jose’s ex-business partner claims
Rahm Emanuel road-tests emphasis on policy over Trump-hatred
Who is Bill Essayli, the hard-charging prosecutor at the center of California’s election fight?
Platner’s ‘deranged’ response to Musk becoming a trillionaire sparks online outrage: ‘Loserthink’
Op-Ed: What the Court Refused to Say About Your Money
Trump administration attempts to ramp up Alaska oil and gas drilling
WATCH: House Dems blame racism, ‘all-White’ jury for Karmelo Anthony’s guilty verdict
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.
