More Israeli Election Details

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

A scattering of new details from the Israeli election results. And to be clear, we only have exit polls so far – though Israeli exit polls have a better record than American ones.

1. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said he would push for a unity government if there is no clear winner. He was as good as his word. He has already said he will push for a national unity government. These results give him a strong hand to make that happen.

2. Netanyahu managed a huge comeback. But he did it at the expense of gutting the other parties of the right. Especially the far-right Jewish Home party of Naftali Bennett. It is not clear that the center-right bloc grew at all from the last polls. It may actually have shrunk.

3. Mainly in line with expectations, the Arab Joint List looks set to be the third largest party in the Knesset. If that holds (and there’s still a good chance it could be the centrist Yesh Atid), it would in all likelihood become the official opposition if both ZC/Labor and Likud entered a unity government.

4. Netanyahu is clearly in a better position to build a coalition. But by my count, his maximum number of seats is likely 63. That assumes the parties of the right, all the religious parties and Kulanu. If Yesh Atid joins that puts it over 70. But that seems hard to figure.

5. Everyone is focusing on the topline tie or near tie. But the blocks are pretty close to tied as well. It is hard to see how any government gets formed that lasts for even near to its full term.

Latest Editors' Blog
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: