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Political establishment sources estimate that President Shimon Peres will task Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu with establishing the next government.
Meanwhile, according to the Jerusalem Post, senior Kadima and Likud officials have said that a national unity government under Netanyahu’s leadership is a possibility, since Yisrael Beiteinu’s Avigdor Lieberman has raised some demands that neither prime ministerial candidate is willing to meet.
Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)
8:25PM: Following the official results, Kadima has released the following statement:
“Tonight must end the campaign run by Bibi and Likud lobbyists, to hijack the opinions and government of Israel..Kadima has won and is the largest party. Netanyahu needs to heed Tzipi Livni’s call and join the national union party led by her.”
In response, Likud said “Kadima’s victory announcement is pathetic.” (Hebrew link)
8:20PM: It’s official: the soldiers’ votes have not changed the election results.
Following the count, Kadima remained with 28 mandates, Likud was close behind with 27 seats, Israel Beiteinu was the third biggest party with 15 mandates, Labor received only 13 mandates, Shas 11, and United Torah Judaism 5.
The National Union and Hadash parties received 4 mandates each, while Habayit Hayehudi, Meretz, the United Arab List and Balad got 3 seats each.
In the final tally Likud was only 20,000 votes behind Kadima. Earlier, the difference between the parties stood at 36,000 votes in favor of Kadima.
Twenty percent of the soldiers and diplomats voted for Likud, with 17% supporting Kadima, Israel Radio reported on Thursday evening.
8:17PM: Two Israeli Druze have been jailed for spying for Syria.
7:57PM: A first for Israel: police on roller blades (Hebrew link)
6:05PM: Here is more on Ichud Leumi (National Union), who the Likud Faction Chairman said earlier today “will be a partner in the government and coalition lead by Netanyahu.”
5:30PM: Fresh from his court defeat, Jewish-in-name-only Israel hater Richard Silverstein compares Avigdor Lieberman to Hamas (http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2009/02/11/us-democracy-double-standard-we-embrace-lieberman-reject-hamas/).
5:10PM: Channel 2 reports that there is no change in the mandates after tallying up all of the votes.
4:05PM: Many soldiers “voted” for Gilad Shalit in the elections.
3:55PM: Voter turnout was 71.2% 72.1%! That compares to 63.2% in the 2006 elections.
3:50PM: This evening, we should have the final results after the counting of votes from soldiers, sailors, prisoners, the disabled and government employees working overseas. An extra 4-5 mandates are up for grabs.
By mid-day today, 80% of these votes had been counted, reportedly with no indication that the votes would change the mandate distribution.
3:15PM: Here’s our moderate palestinian peace partner being all moderate and peace-like.
2:25PM: The Jerusalem Post reports:
Israel Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman may recommend that he himself be entrusted with putting together a coalition, Stas Meseznikov, head of the party’s negotiating team, said Thursday.
“We haven’t decided yet,” Meseznikov told Army Radio. “We’ve only just started negotiating with the two leading candidates, and both are fitting. But we could recommend Avigdor Lieberman as our candidate for prime minister.”
Official Israellycool reaction:
2:10PM: Shas and United Torah Judaism are trying to keep Satan Lieberman out of the coalition.
2:03PM: Israel comedy sketch show Eretz Nehederet on election day.
I currently don’t have time to translate it, but I think you get the idea, especially the portrayal of Lieberman as a Darth Vader-type dictator.
1:50PM: Ha’aretz quotes Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit as stating that Kadima won’t join “an extreme right-wing government” led by Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu.
I assume by “extreme right-wing government” he does not mean to exclude Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu, especially considering Kadima has also been actively wooing them.
I am guessing he was more referring to the likes of the national religious National Union. Oops, too late.
1:35PM: Sorry for the relatively few updates so far today. I have hardly had time to breath.
Keep checking back here, since I will endeavor to post during the course of the day.
9:34AM: Another report on the likelihood of a Likud-led national unity government.
Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to offer the finance portfolio to Yisrael Beiteinu Avigdor Lieberman, in order to pull the latter immediately into pledging to join a government under his authority.
Netanyahu will then ask Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni to join his coalition, and may offer the rival party portfolios of foreign affairs (Livni) and defense (Mofaz).
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The Likud leader told Haaretz on Wednesday that he planned to tell opposing parties to put aside their political differences and join his government, for the sake of national unity.
“I plan to create a wide coalition and I will tell the other parties, ‘if you’re worried about national interest, lay aside your political interests and join a government under my leadership,'” he said.
5:58AM: Ha’aretz: Livni: I’ll fight on despite poor odds
Brings this to mind (watch until 0:23):
5:55AM: A number of hours ago, Israel responded to yesterday’s mortar shell fire by palestinian terrorists. Did we:
a) Strike abandoned Hamas outposts and/or smuggling tunnels?
b) Strike abandoned Hamas outposts and/or smuggling tunnels?
c) All of the above
The answer is, of course, c.
