“Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday conceded defeat to Benjamin Netanyahu in this week’s election, setting the stage for the former Israeli leader to return to power.
Lapid congratulated Netanyahu and instructed his staff to prepare an organized transition of power, his office said.
“The state of Israel comes before any political consideration,” Lapid said. “I wish Netanyahu success, for the sake of the people of Israel and the state of Israel.”
Lapid, who has been interim prime minister for four months, made the announcement after a near-final vote count showed Netanyahu securing a parliamentary majority with his religious and ultranationalist allies. Final results were expected later Thursday.
The former prime minister is expected to form the country’s most conservative government in history when he takes power, likely in the coming weeks.
Israel held its fifth election in four years on Tuesday, a protracted political crisis that saw voters divided over Netanyahu’s fitness to serve while on trial for corruption.
The final ballots were still being counted late Thursday. Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies were expected to control 64 or 65 seats in Israel’s 120-seat parliament, or Knesset. His opponents in the current coalition, led by Lapid, were expected to win 50 or 51 seats, with the remainder held by a small unaffiliated Arab party.”
Comment: OK. Someone explain to me how Bibi can be still awaiting sentencing on plea deals for corruption in office and be re-elected to be PM. Explain it. pl
Israeli PM Lapid Calls Netanyahu to Congratulate Him on Election Win | Newsmax.com
John Adams said that a Republic isa gvernment “of laws and not of men.” Mr. Natanyhu’s country’s law does not preclde it. It is that simple.
I believe a convicted serial killer on death row could legally run for president in the US. And he could theoretically win. What would happen next is anyone’s guess. The same may be true in Israel. Perhaps if Netanyahu’s sentence includes a period of incarceration, it would simply be delayed until he leaves office. Or could an incarcerated Netanyahu be found to be incapacitated? Maybe we’ll soon see the ultimate expression of chutzpah.
Americans have always had a problem reconciling religion w/nation and have not always lived the idea of religious freedom. The Hutchinson Pkwy, named after Anne Hutchinson, runs through Westchester and Connecticut is a great example. Hutchinson was quite a young woman, a religious dissident, brave as can be, maybe a nut, but in Westchester we are proud of her. She was her own kind of Puritan and defended her village (country, early Pelham) with her life. Was she an extremists? Americans who trouble over our history question words like ultra religious/nationalist. Agnostic myself, I’ll let others deal w/religion. But I wonder, what makes someone “ultra” nationalist? I regard myself as a nationalist and think of it as a wall switch. Its on or not. You cant be kind of nationalist or too nationalist. Or can you. I yield to the wisdom of the post.
Dude, whatever it is, I’m an ultra. I don’t care what’s what – don’t believe any of it anyway. But, if I’m there with you, that’s where I’m supposed to be. So, I’m all in…
Col. Lang,
“Someone explain to me how Bibi can be still awaiting sentencing on plea deals for corruption in office and be re-elected to be PM”
I think it’s just culture. These things are just not so important to them.
– Eliot
“I think it’s just culture. These things are just not so important to them.”
In Israel an ex prime minister spent time in prison for corruption and an ex president was imprisoned for rape, a charge that would probably would have amount to sexual harassment in the US.
Now look at the ‘big guy’s and his dealings in Ukraine and China.
Seriously, not important to which culture?
“Seriously, not important to which culture?“
Look at the makeup of the Democratic Party. Its not the descendent of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
– Eliot
Israel isn’t America. It has it’s own cultural norms and legal categories. Bibi is back. Get used to it.
With regard to the charges against him: “bribing a newspaper” would be laughed out of Court in the U.S.
Just say’in. Don’t necessarily support the guy.
Israel may need to get used to living on their own dime, too. I guess we’ll see what happens.
Less than one percent of the Israeli GDP. What used to be a much needed aid has become a way to control military exports and squash competition. President Trump dared calling it what it is, an investment.
In addition, how much is the Israeli technology that ends up in American systems worth in your opinion?
The real value of the technology lies in its inherent value of 5 star bling.That is if the Israelis value American product then it must be good.This you cannot quantify.Sky is the limit
Take a mercedes benz.Good German technology creates a “want it” factor.Israrl contributes to the “want it” factor of American product.
So tell me my good man.Whats it worth.
I would say well over a trillion dollars so far.
Your last question is a very good one – basically, any single-sourced technology of any sort coming from Israel is pretty much coming from a state that is in my opinion unstable and at risk of failing suddenly and unpredictably. I actively formulate away from materials that are manufactured by companies located in that sort of situation.
Peter Hug, In your opinion, are there any technologically innovative and advanced ‘stable’ countries left at this juncture?
The Israel lobby builds the connections that allow Israeli tech firms to shovel their crap in America.
It’s all politics – not necessity or want.
America is forced to engage with Israel because of the organized Jewish community’s mob like tactics and constant emotional blackmail.
It is still annoying that democracy is used to elect the worst. Israel is not exceptional in this respect, far from it. Let’s look at the beam in our eye.
Democracy, the worst system to the exclusion of all others.