Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has won a surprise election
victory, putting him on course for a fourth term in office. Netanyahu’s
Likud Party is poised to control 29 or 30 seats in the 120-member
Knesset. The Zionist Union opposition placed second with 24 seats. A
united list of Arab parties came in third with 13 seats. Netanyahu
closed out his campaign with a vow to oppose a Palestinian state,
reneging on his nominal endorsement of a two-state solution in 2009.
Netanyahu also vowed to expand the illegal West Bank settlements and
issued a last-minute plea to supporters denouncing a high turnout of
Arab voters. The Zionist Union, Netanyahu’s chief rival, also ran on a
platform for Israel to keep the major Israeli settlement blocs in the
occupied West Bank, the home of any future Palestinian state. Likud says
Netanyahu intends to form a new government in the coming weeks. Talks
are already underway with a number of right-wing parties. To discuss the
election, we are joined by two guests: Jamal Zahalka, an Arab member of
the Israeli Knesset and chair of Balad party, which is part of the
Joint List of Arab parties; and Amira Hass, correspondent for the
Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz in the occupied Palestinian territories.
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Source: democracynow.org/
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