Netanyahu heads for a fifth term | With…

Benjamin Netanyahu was heading for a fifth term as Prime Minister of Israel, after an almost total recount of votes, leaving him in a better position than his opponent to form a new government. This eventual victory, despite accusations of corruption against him, would allow Netanyahu, 69, to become, by the end of this year, the oldest incumbent prime minister in the history of the United States. State of Israel. legendary David Ben Gurion.

US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu's great ally, whom he publicly endorsed during the campaign, said the Prime Minister's victory gave the long-awaited peace plan of the White House "a better chance". During the campaign, Netanyahu mentioned his proximity to the President of the United States whenever he could.

Yesterday, in a speech to his supporters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said the triumph was magnificent. "The Israeli people have supported me for a fifth term and expressed an even greater confidence in me," said the current prime minister, who admitted to having already made contact with others. Right parties in search of a coalition.

Benny Gantz, Netanyahu's opponent in the Israeli parliamentary elections, yesterday acknowledged his defeat at a press conference in Jerusalem. "We respect the decision of the people," told the press the leader of the centrist list of Blues and Whites. Gantz, a 59-year-old soldier, declared victory on election night and hoped to form a broad coalition to replace Netanyahu. Surrounded by his list partners, the former general was convinced that his project was "an alternative to power." Blue and White's number two, Yair Lapid, said by his side that the list was ready to "worsen the Netanyahu government's life".

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said the winner of the elections in Israel is no different. "All Zionist parties represent the face of the same currency, which is the occupation," he said in a statement.

According to projections, the Netanyahu-Likud party should obtain in these elections about the same number of seats (35) as Gantz. But with almost all votes already counted, the numbers show that the Likud and a small group of coalition right-wing parties would get about 65 seats in parliament (out of a total of 120), enough to consolidate a majority and form a new government . More than 6.3 million voters were called Tuesday to elect the 120 deputies who will represent them in the Knesset. Participation was 67.9% of the register, compared with 71.8% in the 2015 parliamentary elections.

Once the results are confirmed, a period of intense negotiations to form a coalition government will be opened in the coming days. All indications are that Israeli President Reuven Rivlin will instruct Netanyahu to form a government. Rivlin said he would begin consultations with party leaders next week. His office said that for the process to be transparent, the consultations will be broadcast live on television for the first time.

Netanyahu has accumulated 13 years as prime minister (1996-1999 and since 2009), while Gantz, general and former paratrooper, has military experience of having been commander of a force unit. Special Forces and former Chief of Staff of the Defense Forces. But until six months ago, Israel was a foreign politician. In turn, the Israeli left has been humiliated and only 6 seats are attributed to the historic Labor Party. One of her leaders, Shelly Yachimovich, confessed to being "shocked".

For his part, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has expressed the wish that these elections bring peace and declared himself ready to resume negotiations if international law is respected. Palestinian leader Hanan Ashraoui has been harder to consider that the Israelis "chose to represent them as an extremely strong, xenophobic and anti-Palestinian parliament". In front of her, another Palestinian leader, Saeb Erakat, said that in the new parliament, only 18 of the 120 Israeli deputies supported the "two states" solution, the UN's reference to resolve the conflict.

At the end of the election campaign, Netanyahu made a clear appeal to his more radical electorate by declaring, defying a broad international consensus, that he was ready to annex Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Israel's occupied Palestinian territory. for half a century. Such an annexation would make a two-state solution, that is, a Palestinian state coexisting with Israel, almost impossible. In addition, the Israelis consider that Trump offered Netanyahu a spectacular gift during the election campaign, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan, an occupied Syrian territory by Israel after the wars of Six Day (1967) and Yom Kippur (1973). .