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.
Trump Predicts Supreme Court ‘Will Find a Way to Come to the Wrong Conclusion’ on Birthright Citizenship
ICE arrests convicted pedophiles, violent assailants as Trump meets with Angel Families
Ex-Navy SEAL puts ‘deranged’ Mexican drug cartel on notice after violent weekend: ‘More like ISIS’
Housekeeper expected to play key role in trial of wife accused of husband’s murder in wealthy ski town
How to Get a Birth Certificate for Dummies: A Guide for Democrats Who Oppose Secure Elections
Secret tapes sink shooter’s defense in Scott Spivey road rage killing
Angel Families praise Trump for immigration crackdown: ‘You are the man’
Trump halts Angel Families speech to check on woman in audience
Watch: CNN Host Goes Rogue on Air, Saying ‘Blue Cities Are Out of Control’ and Then Tearing Them Apart for 2 Minutes Straight
Watch: Media Melts Down After Kash Celebrates Team USA Win with a Chest Thump and Beer in His Hand – But He’s Not Backing Down
Kim Jong Un reelected as North Korean leader, teen daughter to serve as ‘missile chief’
Trump fires judge-picked US attorney as top DOJ official warns courts to stay in their lane
Reporter’s Notebook: Trump’s State of the Union becomes political boxing match as Democrats boycott
First antifa terrorism trial restarts following mistrial: What you need to know
Newsom’s office rebuffs ‘MAGA-manufactured outrage’ on his SAT score statement
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.
Trump Predicts Supreme Court ‘Will Find a Way to Come to the Wrong Conclusion’ on Birthright Citizenship
ICE arrests convicted pedophiles, violent assailants as Trump meets with Angel Families
Ex-Navy SEAL puts ‘deranged’ Mexican drug cartel on notice after violent weekend: ‘More like ISIS’
Housekeeper expected to play key role in trial of wife accused of husband’s murder in wealthy ski town
How to Get a Birth Certificate for Dummies: A Guide for Democrats Who Oppose Secure Elections
Secret tapes sink shooter’s defense in Scott Spivey road rage killing
Angel Families praise Trump for immigration crackdown: ‘You are the man’
Trump halts Angel Families speech to check on woman in audience
Watch: CNN Host Goes Rogue on Air, Saying ‘Blue Cities Are Out of Control’ and Then Tearing Them Apart for 2 Minutes Straight
Watch: Media Melts Down After Kash Celebrates Team USA Win with a Chest Thump and Beer in His Hand – But He’s Not Backing Down
Kim Jong Un reelected as North Korean leader, teen daughter to serve as ‘missile chief’
Trump fires judge-picked US attorney as top DOJ official warns courts to stay in their lane
Reporter’s Notebook: Trump’s State of the Union becomes political boxing match as Democrats boycott
First antifa terrorism trial restarts following mistrial: What you need to know
Newsom’s office rebuffs ‘MAGA-manufactured outrage’ on his SAT score statement
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.
