Israeli Parliamentary Elections: A Look at the Winners and Losers

Following the excitement of the Israeli elections and the unexpected victory of Benjamin Netanyahu, AFP reported on the achievements and failures of the main players in this contest. Who are the winners? Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, is the main winner of the elections. His Likud party won 30 seats out of 120 in the parliament, while the Zionist Union led by Isaac Herzog came in second with 24 seats. The Joint List, which includes major Arab parties, will be the third party in the next Israeli parliament with 14 seats. The newly established centrist party Kalanu, led by Moshe Kahlon, which split from Likud and focused on economic slogans, will send ten representatives to the parliament. As Netanyahu seeks to form a coalition government, the support of the Kalanu party is crucial for him. Aware of Kahlon's position, Netanyahu promised him the finance ministry 48 hours before the elections. Who are the losers of the elections? The Zionist Union led by Isaac Herzog and the Hatnuah party led by Tzipi Livni accepted defeat on Wednesday. They, having won six seats less than Likud, are not in a position to form a majority faction in parliament. The right-wing religious party 'House of Judaism', a staunch supporter of Jewish settlements and opposed to a Palestinian state, will send only eight representatives to parliament, down from 12 in the 2013 elections. Observers say some of this party's voters shifted to Likud. The right-wing nationalist party 'Yisrael Beiteinu', led by Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's foreign minister, secured six seats, down from 11 in the previous elections. Voters from this party also shifted their votes to Likud this time. The centrist right party 'Yesh Atid', led by Yair Lapid, also lost eight seats compared to the previous elections, obtaining 11 seats. The two far-right parties 'Shas' and 'United Torah Judaism' were also among the losers, losing five seats compared to the 2013 elections, totaling 13 seats in the next Israeli parliament. The left-wing party 'Meretz' obtained only four seats, losing six compared to the last elections. Israeli voters were also among the losers in this election. None of them expected Benjamin Netanyahu to defeat Isaac Herzog. In the week leading up to the elections, polls indicated that the Zionist Union led by Isaac Herzog was ahead of Likud by four seats. The results of these polls were significantly different from the actual voting results. What is the next step after the elections? Benjamin Netanyahu has many winning cards. He can form a more right-wing coalition government with right-wing parties than the current government. This conservative coalition, which Netanyahu desires, will have 67 representatives in parliament. Netanyahu also has another option; forming a national unity government with Isaac Herzog could help Israel exit the international political isolation that has intensified following his election speech and opposition to the formation of a Palestinian state.