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| Israel Elections Live Updates: Netanyahu Is on Track for Victory | Israel Elections Live Updates: Netanyahu Is on Track for Victory |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in position to win a fourth consecutive term on Wednesday, with nearly all of the votes counted. But the race was extremely tight, and his main rival, Benny Gantz, had also claimed victory, though he later tempered expectations. | • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in position to win a fourth consecutive term on Wednesday, with nearly all of the votes counted. But the race was extremely tight, and his main rival, Benny Gantz, had also claimed victory, though he later tempered expectations. |
| • When the ballots are fully counted, it will be up to President Reuven Rivlin to choose the party leader he believes has the best chance of assembling a parliamentary majority. Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party and Mr. Gantz’s Blue and White alliance were running neck and neck, but a count of the broader blocs supporting each party gave Likud a clear advantage in being able to form a governing coalition. | • When the ballots are fully counted, it will be up to President Reuven Rivlin to choose the party leader he believes has the best chance of assembling a parliamentary majority. Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party and Mr. Gantz’s Blue and White alliance were running neck and neck, but a count of the broader blocs supporting each party gave Likud a clear advantage in being able to form a governing coalition. |
| • Regardless of the final result, the election appeared to be a grave scare for Mr. Netanyahu, 69, who has led Israel for a decade of relative security and prosperity. More than a million Israelis voted for Blue and White, a record for a new party, placing it in the position of being the main alternative to Israel’s right wing, a spot once held by the Labor Party. | • Regardless of the final result, the election appeared to be a grave scare for Mr. Netanyahu, 69, who has led Israel for a decade of relative security and prosperity. More than a million Israelis voted for Blue and White, a record for a new party, placing it in the position of being the main alternative to Israel’s right wing, a spot once held by the Labor Party. |
| Having claimed victory after the first wave of exit polls, only to see later results appear to hand the election to Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Gantz, 59, wrote to supporters on Wednesday morning sounding at once less bullish but still hopeful. | Having claimed victory after the first wave of exit polls, only to see later results appear to hand the election to Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Gantz, 59, wrote to supporters on Wednesday morning sounding at once less bullish but still hopeful. |
| “Reports tell an unfinished story,” he said in a midmorning message. “Yes, odds may not seem in our favor but two things are missing: The first is certainty, as there is still a possibility of electoral shifts that will allow us to engage in various political endeavors. | “Reports tell an unfinished story,” he said in a midmorning message. “Yes, odds may not seem in our favor but two things are missing: The first is certainty, as there is still a possibility of electoral shifts that will allow us to engage in various political endeavors. |
| “The second is, without doubt, recognition of the great hope we delivered to the Israeli people and society,” he continued. “Our voters asked for hope and we gave it to them. They wanted a different path and we carved it out for them. We will not stand down from our civil duty to represent over a million citizens who searched for an alternative. | “The second is, without doubt, recognition of the great hope we delivered to the Israeli people and society,” he continued. “Our voters asked for hope and we gave it to them. They wanted a different path and we carved it out for them. We will not stand down from our civil duty to represent over a million citizens who searched for an alternative. |
| “We have a historic achievement under our belt. We have a reason to be proud, and so we will.” | “We have a historic achievement under our belt. We have a reason to be proud, and so we will.” |
| Mr. Gantz, a retired lieutenant general and former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, had reached out for allies across the political spectrum and sought to make Mr. Netanyahu’s expected indictment on corruption charges the main issue in the race. | Mr. Gantz, a retired lieutenant general and former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, had reached out for allies across the political spectrum and sought to make Mr. Netanyahu’s expected indictment on corruption charges the main issue in the race. |
| [Here is a guide to The New York Times’s coverage of the Israeli election.] | [Here is a guide to The New York Times’s coverage of the Israeli election.] |
| The tight nature of the race meant many Israelis went to bed on Tuesday suspended in a post-ballot twilight zone: The exit polls of the three main television channels were sufficiently disparate that both sides claimed victory. | The tight nature of the race meant many Israelis went to bed on Tuesday suspended in a post-ballot twilight zone: The exit polls of the three main television channels were sufficiently disparate that both sides claimed victory. |
| “This is a night of tremendous victory,” Mr. Netanyahu said just after 2 a.m., at a celebration where a crowd cheered him and chanted, “Bibi, king of Israel.” “I believe that the Lord and history have given the people of Israel another opportunity, a golden opportunity to turn our country into a strong nation, among the strongest nations of the world.” — DAVID M. HALBFINGER | “This is a night of tremendous victory,” Mr. Netanyahu said just after 2 a.m., at a celebration where a crowd cheered him and chanted, “Bibi, king of Israel.” “I believe that the Lord and history have given the people of Israel another opportunity, a golden opportunity to turn our country into a strong nation, among the strongest nations of the world.” — DAVID M. HALBFINGER |
| Four right-wing and religious parties had publicly pledged by Wednesday morning to support Mr. Netanyahu in his bid to form Israel’s next governing coalition, commitments that, if they hold, leave him just one seat short of a parliamentary majority and a fourth consecutive term in office. | Four right-wing and religious parties had publicly pledged by Wednesday morning to support Mr. Netanyahu in his bid to form Israel’s next governing coalition, commitments that, if they hold, leave him just one seat short of a parliamentary majority and a fourth consecutive term in office. |
| The four parties — Kulanu, the Union of Right Wing Parties, and the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism — are projected to win a combined 25 seats, with the vast majority of votes counted. Together with the 35 seats that Mr. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party is projected to win, such a coalition would have 60 seats in the 120-seat Parliament. | The four parties — Kulanu, the Union of Right Wing Parties, and the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism — are projected to win a combined 25 seats, with the vast majority of votes counted. Together with the 35 seats that Mr. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party is projected to win, such a coalition would have 60 seats in the 120-seat Parliament. |
| Also among what Mr. Netanyahu terms his “natural partners” is the hard-line Yisrael Beiteinu party, led by Avigdor Lieberman, which is projected to take five seats. | Also among what Mr. Netanyahu terms his “natural partners” is the hard-line Yisrael Beiteinu party, led by Avigdor Lieberman, which is projected to take five seats. |
| The party has joined coalition governments led by Mr. Netanyahu in the past, but Mr. Lieberman was holding out on Wednesday, saying he was waiting for the final tally of votes, including the ballots of soldiers, prisoners and hospital patients that are to be counted later this week. | The party has joined coalition governments led by Mr. Netanyahu in the past, but Mr. Lieberman was holding out on Wednesday, saying he was waiting for the final tally of votes, including the ballots of soldiers, prisoners and hospital patients that are to be counted later this week. |
| Mr. Lieberman served as foreign affairs minister and then defense minister under Mr. Netanyahu, but resigned from the government in November, complaining of a soft policy toward Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza. | Mr. Lieberman served as foreign affairs minister and then defense minister under Mr. Netanyahu, but resigned from the government in November, complaining of a soft policy toward Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza. |
| A spokesman for Yisrael Beiteinu, Aryeh Vishenski, reiterated the party’s campaign message that it would only join a coalition that would allow a proper “fight against terrorism in the south,” enact a law to draft ultra-Orthodox males into the military and introduce pension reform — particularly to help elderly immigrants, one of its core constituencies. — ISABEL KERSHNER | A spokesman for Yisrael Beiteinu, Aryeh Vishenski, reiterated the party’s campaign message that it would only join a coalition that would allow a proper “fight against terrorism in the south,” enact a law to draft ultra-Orthodox males into the military and introduce pension reform — particularly to help elderly immigrants, one of its core constituencies. — ISABEL KERSHNER |
| Palestinian leaders said the election results endorsed an indefinite Israeli occupation of the West Bank, human rights abuses there, and growing encroachment on Palestinian lands. | Palestinian leaders said the election results endorsed an indefinite Israeli occupation of the West Bank, human rights abuses there, and growing encroachment on Palestinian lands. |
| In an appeal to voters on the far right, Mr. Netanyahu, who has backed Jewish settlements in the West Bank that much of the world considers illegal, vowed on Saturday to go a step further, annexing them and possibly other territory into Israel. | In an appeal to voters on the far right, Mr. Netanyahu, who has backed Jewish settlements in the West Bank that much of the world considers illegal, vowed on Saturday to go a step further, annexing them and possibly other territory into Israel. |
| “Israelis have voted no to peace and yes to apartheid,” Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Council, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Regrettably, Israelis overwhelmingly voted for candidates that are unequivocally committed to entrenching the status quo of oppression, occupation, annexation and dispossession in Palestine and escalating the assault on Palestinian national and human rights.” | “Israelis have voted no to peace and yes to apartheid,” Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Council, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Regrettably, Israelis overwhelmingly voted for candidates that are unequivocally committed to entrenching the status quo of oppression, occupation, annexation and dispossession in Palestine and escalating the assault on Palestinian national and human rights.” |
| Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian peace negotiator, wrote on Twitter that Israelis “have said no to peace and yes to the occupation.” | Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian peace negotiator, wrote on Twitter that Israelis “have said no to peace and yes to the occupation.” |
| Palestinians and independent analysts say Israeli encroachment into the occupied territory has dimmed hopes for creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. And in Israeli politics, there is little remaining support for a “two-state solution.” — RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA | |
| Likud and Blue and White appeared to have won at least 35 seats each in the 120-seat Parliament, and by Wednesday morning, the Central Elections Committee should release close-to-final results based on some 99 percent of the polls. | Likud and Blue and White appeared to have won at least 35 seats each in the 120-seat Parliament, and by Wednesday morning, the Central Elections Committee should release close-to-final results based on some 99 percent of the polls. |
| The action will then shift to the official residence of President Reuven Rivlin. He will receive a parade of party representatives over the next few days who will lobby for their choices for the next prime minister. Mr. Rivlin will then ask the candidate he thinks has the best chance of forming a government to do so. | The action will then shift to the official residence of President Reuven Rivlin. He will receive a parade of party representatives over the next few days who will lobby for their choices for the next prime minister. Mr. Rivlin will then ask the candidate he thinks has the best chance of forming a government to do so. |
| That candidate will have 42 days to try to forge a coalition with the support of at least 61 seats in the 120-seat Parliament. | That candidate will have 42 days to try to forge a coalition with the support of at least 61 seats in the 120-seat Parliament. |
| That is likely to be Mr. Netanyahu. The right-wing and religious parties were on track to win a potential majority of at least 65 seats, leaving the center-left bloc with 55. | That is likely to be Mr. Netanyahu. The right-wing and religious parties were on track to win a potential majority of at least 65 seats, leaving the center-left bloc with 55. |
| [Mr. Netanyahu is in position to surpass the nation’s founding leader, David Ben Gurion, as Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.] | [Mr. Netanyahu is in position to surpass the nation’s founding leader, David Ben Gurion, as Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.] |
| “For the first time in Israel’s history the president’s role may be more than symbolic, and he may have to exercise judgment in choosing who will form the next government,” Yohnan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, wrote on Twitter. | “For the first time in Israel’s history the president’s role may be more than symbolic, and he may have to exercise judgment in choosing who will form the next government,” Yohnan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, wrote on Twitter. |
| That prospect has alarmed Mr. Netanyahu, whose relationship with Mr. Rivlin, a Likud veteran, has long been one of deep, mutual loathing. “Legally, Rivlin can give the task of forming the government to whoever he wants,” said Abraham Diskin, a professor emeritus of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. | That prospect has alarmed Mr. Netanyahu, whose relationship with Mr. Rivlin, a Likud veteran, has long been one of deep, mutual loathing. “Legally, Rivlin can give the task of forming the government to whoever he wants,” said Abraham Diskin, a professor emeritus of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. |
| [See our guide to the Israeli elections.] | [See our guide to the Israeli elections.] |
| In most cases, the party with the largest number of seats is given the first crack at forming a government. In 2009, Tzipi Livni’s Kadima Party won the most votes but failed to build a viable coalition. Mr. Netanyahu, whose Likud party came in second, was tasked with forming the government. — DAVID M. HALBFINGER | In most cases, the party with the largest number of seats is given the first crack at forming a government. In 2009, Tzipi Livni’s Kadima Party won the most votes but failed to build a viable coalition. Mr. Netanyahu, whose Likud party came in second, was tasked with forming the government. — DAVID M. HALBFINGER |
| Early analysis showed a historically low turnout among Arab citizens of Israel, many of whom boycotted the vote out of disillusionment with Israeli politics and with their own politicians. | Early analysis showed a historically low turnout among Arab citizens of Israel, many of whom boycotted the vote out of disillusionment with Israeli politics and with their own politicians. |
| By nightfall Arab leaders were frantically trying to rally their supporters, mosques were broadcasting appeals from minaret loudspeakers, and a last-minute surge of participation seemed to materialize in some predominantly Arab towns, though that was not captured in exit polls. | By nightfall Arab leaders were frantically trying to rally their supporters, mosques were broadcasting appeals from minaret loudspeakers, and a last-minute surge of participation seemed to materialize in some predominantly Arab towns, though that was not captured in exit polls. |
| Among Arab voters, where a boycott movement appeared to be having a strong effect, the haranguing was especially intense. | Among Arab voters, where a boycott movement appeared to be having a strong effect, the haranguing was especially intense. |
| “The right is planning to crush the Arab parties, it wants to erase us off the political arena,” Mtanes Shehadeh, a spokesman for the struggling Ram-Balad party, wrote in a WhatsApp message to supporters. “This is Netanyahu’s dream.” — DAVID M. HALBFINGER | “The right is planning to crush the Arab parties, it wants to erase us off the political arena,” Mtanes Shehadeh, a spokesman for the struggling Ram-Balad party, wrote in a WhatsApp message to supporters. “This is Netanyahu’s dream.” — DAVID M. HALBFINGER |