Binyamin (‘Bibi’) Netanyahu won an important victory today on his quest for the Premiership. Though his center-right Likud (Consolidation) party took second place in last week’s election - one mandate short of Tzipi Livni’s centrist Kadima (Forward) party - both parties fell well short of the 60+1 seat majority necessary in the 120 seat Knesset. That left Avigdor Lieberman's third place party, the right-wing, Russian immigrant-favored Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is Our Home) in a position to decide the next Prime Minister. After meeting with President Shimon Peres this morning, Lieberman announced he would support Netanyahu as PM, as long as he pursued a broad unity government with Kadima. Ms. Livni made it known that she would rather lead Kadima into the opposition than serve in a Netanyahu-led government, but she will almost certainly face pressure from the right in her own party to take at least a partial share of power. Still others in Kadima see Lieberman’s announcement as a stab in the back, as Tzipi had alienated many of the left-wing parties by offering to meet all of Lieberman’s demands - including handing Yisrael Beiteinu one of the top three cabinet portfolios (either foreign affairs, defense, or treasury). President Peres has six days to decide on which candidate he will ask to form a government, after which that candidate will have 42 more days to form a stable coalition.
Results of Parliamentary Election, 10 February 2009
- Kadima (Center)----------------------------------------------------28
- Likud (Center-Right)----------------------------------------------27
- Yisrael Beiteinu (Ultra-Nationalist)-----------------------------15
- Labor (Center-Left)------------------------------------------------13
- Shas (Sephardic Orthodox interest)-----------------------------11
- United Torah Judaism (Ultra-Orthodox)-----------------------5
- United Arab List - Ta'al (Bedouin/Israeli Arab interest)-----4
- National Union (Hard Right)-------------------------------------4
- Hadash (Communist)----------------------------------------------4
- Meretz (Social Democratic)---------------------------------------3
- Jewish Home (Right-Wing/Settlers' Interest)-----------------3
- Balad (Left-Wing/Arab Nationalist)-----------------------------3
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