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.
Last-Ditch Effort to Kill Trump Fossil Fuel EOs Goes Down in Flames
Why Did Pollsters Get Michigan And Wisconsin Primaries So Wrong?
Swing-state’s fraud reckoning raises Minnesota-style alarm as wild schemes exposed
Mundane DOJ Memo on Post Office Gun Bans Is Actually Bigger Deal Than You Think
Americans clash over transgender athletes as debate heats up: ‘Just getting outrageous’
Routine California traffic stop leads to seizure of 30 pounds of cocaine worth more than $800K
New Report Says Chinese Cameras Used in Naval Assets Secretly Sent Data to Communist Country
Alaska runner hospitalized after using bear spray to fight off brown bear on Alaska trail
Nevada man funneled 140 guns to violent Mexican drug cartels, including powerful ‘military-style’ rifles: DOJ
Ex-detective who served fraction of 102-year sentence faces new charges after cold case review
Judge Keeps Major Biden Admin Gun Rule On Ice
Fauci refuses Senate appearance after invoking Fifth Amendment more than 100 times in COVID probe
America Found A Rare Metal It Desperately Needs. Red Tape Could Keep It In The Ground For Ages
Trump backs Republican challenger to oust Letitia James amid ongoing mortgage fraud feud
Watch: It’s Been Banned a Million Times, But Now the Video That Exposed How ‘Queerness’ and Pedophilia Go Hand-in-Hand Is Online for Good
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.
Last-Ditch Effort to Kill Trump Fossil Fuel EOs Goes Down in Flames
Why Did Pollsters Get Michigan And Wisconsin Primaries So Wrong?
Swing-state’s fraud reckoning raises Minnesota-style alarm as wild schemes exposed
Mundane DOJ Memo on Post Office Gun Bans Is Actually Bigger Deal Than You Think
Americans clash over transgender athletes as debate heats up: ‘Just getting outrageous’
Routine California traffic stop leads to seizure of 30 pounds of cocaine worth more than $800K
New Report Says Chinese Cameras Used in Naval Assets Secretly Sent Data to Communist Country
Alaska runner hospitalized after using bear spray to fight off brown bear on Alaska trail
Nevada man funneled 140 guns to violent Mexican drug cartels, including powerful ‘military-style’ rifles: DOJ
Ex-detective who served fraction of 102-year sentence faces new charges after cold case review
Judge Keeps Major Biden Admin Gun Rule On Ice
Fauci refuses Senate appearance after invoking Fifth Amendment more than 100 times in COVID probe
America Found A Rare Metal It Desperately Needs. Red Tape Could Keep It In The Ground For Ages
Trump backs Republican challenger to oust Letitia James amid ongoing mortgage fraud feud
Watch: It’s Been Banned a Million Times, But Now the Video That Exposed How ‘Queerness’ and Pedophilia Go Hand-in-Hand Is Online for Good
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.
