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.
High School Football Team Shines ‘the Light of Jesus’ by Giving Every Opponent a Bible After Games
Which ‘Fake News’ Outlet Will Trump Ban from the White House Next? He Just Dropped Some Major Hints, and It’s Making Them Squirm
Watch: MLB Player Knocked Out Cold in ‘Terrifying Moment’ – Then Medics Manage to Make Things Worse
Why the House let out early is a matter of debate after Johnson says chamber has ‘done its work’
DOJ Declares it Will No Longer Enforce Two Gun-Control Statutes That Are ‘Inconsistent with the Second Amendment’
Vance calls midterms a referendum on ‘common sense versus pure unadulterated crazy’
Would-Be Robber Finds Out the Hard Way That He Picked the Wrong Victim: Two Shots Later He Was in the ER
Warren Buffett Steps Down as Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Names His Replacement: ‘Father Time Always Wins’
Teachers Unions Throw a Public Fit Over Kathy Hochul’s Rare Good Move to Sign Onto Trump’s Education Plan
Dealmaking Trump Locks in ‘Permanent’ Greenland Military Rights with Historic Pact, Slams Door on Chinese, Russian Expansion
Unsealed FBI interviews reveal Obama, Emanuel’s discussions about Blagojevich Senate seat deal
Illegal immigrant rideshare driver charged with rape in Maryland had prior NYC sex abuse arrest
Trump declares victory in historic deal with Greenland as he secures ‘permanent’ US military rights
FAA advances Trump’s ‘Triumphal Arch’ after review finds height doesn’t pose safety hazard to planes
Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: Trump bashing, chilled speech and a major saga renewed
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.
High School Football Team Shines ‘the Light of Jesus’ by Giving Every Opponent a Bible After Games
Which ‘Fake News’ Outlet Will Trump Ban from the White House Next? He Just Dropped Some Major Hints, and It’s Making Them Squirm
Watch: MLB Player Knocked Out Cold in ‘Terrifying Moment’ – Then Medics Manage to Make Things Worse
Why the House let out early is a matter of debate after Johnson says chamber has ‘done its work’
DOJ Declares it Will No Longer Enforce Two Gun-Control Statutes That Are ‘Inconsistent with the Second Amendment’
Vance calls midterms a referendum on ‘common sense versus pure unadulterated crazy’
Would-Be Robber Finds Out the Hard Way That He Picked the Wrong Victim: Two Shots Later He Was in the ER
Warren Buffett Steps Down as Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Names His Replacement: ‘Father Time Always Wins’
Teachers Unions Throw a Public Fit Over Kathy Hochul’s Rare Good Move to Sign Onto Trump’s Education Plan
Dealmaking Trump Locks in ‘Permanent’ Greenland Military Rights with Historic Pact, Slams Door on Chinese, Russian Expansion
Unsealed FBI interviews reveal Obama, Emanuel’s discussions about Blagojevich Senate seat deal
Illegal immigrant rideshare driver charged with rape in Maryland had prior NYC sex abuse arrest
Trump declares victory in historic deal with Greenland as he secures ‘permanent’ US military rights
FAA advances Trump’s ‘Triumphal Arch’ after review finds height doesn’t pose safety hazard to planes
Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: Trump bashing, chilled speech and a major saga renewed
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.
