3 mar 2020
Likud leader repeats pledge to annex West Bank settlements and Jordan Valley, boasts of his relations with world leaders, saying that 'peace agreements with other Arab countries is just a matter of time'; party faithful call for AG Mandelblit who indicted PM on corruption charges to 'go home'
Benjamin Netanyahu claimed victory in the Israel's elections on Monday night, despite exit polls pointing to his right-wing bloc being below the 61-MK target he needs to form a government.
"What joy we have tonight," he told supporters in Tel Aviv. "It's a night of huge victory."
The Likud leader also said that there would be more party Knesset members, as "we have significantly increased the Likud list."
His supporters at the party's headquarters chanted "Mandelblit go home," a reference to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit who has charged Netanyahu with fraud, bribery and breach of trust in a trial set to begin on March 17.
The prime minister also boasted of his relations with world leaders, saying that, "peace agreements with other Arab countries is just a matter of time - and not much."
Israel has a peace agreement with Jordan and Egypt and low-key or unofficial ties with primarily Gulf states in the Arab world. Netanyahu has made developing relations with the Arab world a central feature in his election campaign, claiming to be the only one who can achieve this goal.
To a rapturous reception from supporters at the Likud campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu also reiterated his promise to annex the West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley.
Israel went to the polls for the third time in less than a year on Monday, after two earlier rounds of voting left both the right-wing and center-left blocs unable to muster the 61 Knesset members needed to form a government.
As the exit polls released as the ballot closed at 10pm showed Likud on 36 or 37 seats in the 120-strong Knesset, Netanyahu tweeted out a simple "thank you" with a heart emoji.
Netanyahu's right-wing bloc was uniformly predicted to take 59 seats, while the center-left bloc headed by Blue & White leader Benny Gantz was tipped to take just 55 seats.
Just moments after the exit polls were released, Netanyahu called the heads of the parties in his right-wing bloc and pledged to immediately start work on forming a government.
"This is clearly an achievement from Netanyahu's standpoint but by no means is it a clear, decisive outcome that enables him to form a stable, functioning government," said Yohanan Plesner, president of the non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute. "The country is heading toward constitutional uncertainty."
Netanyahu's defense minister and Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett called the night a victory for the right and reiterated his commitment to the bloc.
"The right has won, we will make sure that the path of the right also wins," wrote Bennett on Twitter.
"As we promised, we will recommend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for prime minister. We are committed to the right-wing bloc led by Netanyahu to establish a government that will continue to keep Israeli citizens safe, continue to provide support to IDF soldiers, protect the Land of Israel and the values of the right."
Yamina co-leader Ayelet Shaked also took to Twitter to celebrate the right-wing bloc's result.
"The religious-Zionist movement enlisted, with its thousands of activists, young and old, to this campaign with great determination. The Israeli democracy is strong and vibrant and the people have decided – a right-wing government with Netanyahu at the helm."
Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich, also of Yamina, celebrated the results and called them a "great achievement."
"This is a great evening for the State of Israel. I thank the thousands of sons and daughters of religious Zionism who took responsibility for the State of Israel and the right-wing bloc, flocked to the polls in droves and brought about a great achievement," Smotrich said.
"This great spirit will be translated, with the help of God, into a national government that is good for Israel. Keep going forward with full force!"
Benjamin Netanyahu claimed victory in the Israel's elections on Monday night, despite exit polls pointing to his right-wing bloc being below the 61-MK target he needs to form a government.
"What joy we have tonight," he told supporters in Tel Aviv. "It's a night of huge victory."
The Likud leader also said that there would be more party Knesset members, as "we have significantly increased the Likud list."
His supporters at the party's headquarters chanted "Mandelblit go home," a reference to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit who has charged Netanyahu with fraud, bribery and breach of trust in a trial set to begin on March 17.
The prime minister also boasted of his relations with world leaders, saying that, "peace agreements with other Arab countries is just a matter of time - and not much."
Israel has a peace agreement with Jordan and Egypt and low-key or unofficial ties with primarily Gulf states in the Arab world. Netanyahu has made developing relations with the Arab world a central feature in his election campaign, claiming to be the only one who can achieve this goal.
To a rapturous reception from supporters at the Likud campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu also reiterated his promise to annex the West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley.
Israel went to the polls for the third time in less than a year on Monday, after two earlier rounds of voting left both the right-wing and center-left blocs unable to muster the 61 Knesset members needed to form a government.
As the exit polls released as the ballot closed at 10pm showed Likud on 36 or 37 seats in the 120-strong Knesset, Netanyahu tweeted out a simple "thank you" with a heart emoji.
Netanyahu's right-wing bloc was uniformly predicted to take 59 seats, while the center-left bloc headed by Blue & White leader Benny Gantz was tipped to take just 55 seats.
Just moments after the exit polls were released, Netanyahu called the heads of the parties in his right-wing bloc and pledged to immediately start work on forming a government.
"This is clearly an achievement from Netanyahu's standpoint but by no means is it a clear, decisive outcome that enables him to form a stable, functioning government," said Yohanan Plesner, president of the non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute. "The country is heading toward constitutional uncertainty."
Netanyahu's defense minister and Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett called the night a victory for the right and reiterated his commitment to the bloc.
"The right has won, we will make sure that the path of the right also wins," wrote Bennett on Twitter.
"As we promised, we will recommend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for prime minister. We are committed to the right-wing bloc led by Netanyahu to establish a government that will continue to keep Israeli citizens safe, continue to provide support to IDF soldiers, protect the Land of Israel and the values of the right."
Yamina co-leader Ayelet Shaked also took to Twitter to celebrate the right-wing bloc's result.
"The religious-Zionist movement enlisted, with its thousands of activists, young and old, to this campaign with great determination. The Israeli democracy is strong and vibrant and the people have decided – a right-wing government with Netanyahu at the helm."
Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich, also of Yamina, celebrated the results and called them a "great achievement."
"This is a great evening for the State of Israel. I thank the thousands of sons and daughters of religious Zionism who took responsibility for the State of Israel and the right-wing bloc, flocked to the polls in droves and brought about a great achievement," Smotrich said.
"This great spirit will be translated, with the help of God, into a national government that is good for Israel. Keep going forward with full force!"
2 mar 2020
While one short of the 61 Knesset seats he needs, PM vows to immediately start work on forming a new government; Gantz pledges to continue fighting for 'right path'
With exit polls pointing to a Likud victory in the Knesset elections, Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted out a simple "thank you" with a heart emoji on Monday night. tweet
Israel went to the polls for the third time in less than a year on Monday, after two earlier rounds of voting left both the right-wing and center-left blocs unable to muster the 61 Knesset members needed to form a government.
But with Netanyahu's right-wing bloc uniformly predicted to take 60 seats, his prime minister's chair seems secure if not certain. His Likud party is predicted to have won between 35 and 37 seats in the vote while Blue & White is on course to take just 30 and 33 seats.
Just moments after the exit polls were released at 10pm, Netanyahu spoke with the heads of the parties in his right-wing bloc and pledged to immediately start work on forming a government.
Netanyahu's defense minister and Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett called the night a victory for the right and reiterated his commitment to the bloc.
"The right has won, we will make sure that the path of the right also wins," wrote Bennett on Twitter.
"As we promised, we will recommend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for prime minister. We are committed to the right-wing bloc led by Netanyahu to establish a government that will continue to keep Israeli citizens safe, continue to provide support to IDF soldiers, protect the Land of Israel and the values of the right."
Yamina co-leader Ayelet Shaked also took to Twitter to celebrate the right-wing bloc's apparent victory.
"The religious-Zionist movement enlisted, with its thousands of activists, young and old, to this campaign with great determination. The Israeli democracy is strong and vibrant and the people have decided – a right-wing government with Netanyahu at the helm."
Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich, also of Yamina, celebrated the results and called them a "great achievement."
"This is a great evening for the State of Israel. I thank the thousands of sons and daughters of religious Zionism who took responsibility for the State of Israel and the right-wing bloc, flocked to the polls in droves and brought about a great achievement," Smotrich said. "This great spirit will be translated, with the help of God, into a national government that is good for Israel. Keep going forward with full force!"
Justice Minister Meir Ohana of Likud called the exit polls a "tremendous vote of confidence" in Netanyahu.
"This is a tremendous vote of confidence and a victory that will give Netanyahu the tools to form the next government and continue to do good for the State of Israel," he told the Ynet studio.
Likud minister Miri Regev proclaimed an "overwhelming victory" for Netanyahu's party.
"The nation had its say, a referendum that proved the trust of the people in Netanyahu and in the Likud, with all the indictments and all the attempts to depose Netanyahu," Regev said.
Foreign minister and Likud MK Israel Katz called the results "a huge achievement for Likud and expression of confidence in Netanyahu."
Knesset Speaker and Likud MK Yuli Edelstein wrote, "according to the numbers, it is a great victory for Likud and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The people have spoken – they want Likud. We will form a strong and good government that will work for all Israeli citizens and bring the country back on track."
Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Liberman, whose party is predicted to get 6-8 seats, said he is still waiting on the final results before acting.
"Any seat could be critical. We will wait for the final results and only then will a situation assessment be done."
Yisrael Beytenu Knesset faction leader MK Oded Forer said his party will keep striving for a liberal national government.
"We will make sure a government is formed. We will not betray our principles," Forer said. "Our objective is a liberal national government, which is what the majority of the public wants."
Shas chairman Aryeh Deri shared a tweet thanking "hundreds of thousands of Shas voters who put their faith in the movement once again."
With exit polls pointing to a Likud victory in the Knesset elections, Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted out a simple "thank you" with a heart emoji on Monday night. tweet
Israel went to the polls for the third time in less than a year on Monday, after two earlier rounds of voting left both the right-wing and center-left blocs unable to muster the 61 Knesset members needed to form a government.
But with Netanyahu's right-wing bloc uniformly predicted to take 60 seats, his prime minister's chair seems secure if not certain. His Likud party is predicted to have won between 35 and 37 seats in the vote while Blue & White is on course to take just 30 and 33 seats.
Just moments after the exit polls were released at 10pm, Netanyahu spoke with the heads of the parties in his right-wing bloc and pledged to immediately start work on forming a government.
Netanyahu's defense minister and Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett called the night a victory for the right and reiterated his commitment to the bloc.
"The right has won, we will make sure that the path of the right also wins," wrote Bennett on Twitter.
"As we promised, we will recommend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for prime minister. We are committed to the right-wing bloc led by Netanyahu to establish a government that will continue to keep Israeli citizens safe, continue to provide support to IDF soldiers, protect the Land of Israel and the values of the right."
Yamina co-leader Ayelet Shaked also took to Twitter to celebrate the right-wing bloc's apparent victory.
"The religious-Zionist movement enlisted, with its thousands of activists, young and old, to this campaign with great determination. The Israeli democracy is strong and vibrant and the people have decided – a right-wing government with Netanyahu at the helm."
Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich, also of Yamina, celebrated the results and called them a "great achievement."
"This is a great evening for the State of Israel. I thank the thousands of sons and daughters of religious Zionism who took responsibility for the State of Israel and the right-wing bloc, flocked to the polls in droves and brought about a great achievement," Smotrich said. "This great spirit will be translated, with the help of God, into a national government that is good for Israel. Keep going forward with full force!"
Justice Minister Meir Ohana of Likud called the exit polls a "tremendous vote of confidence" in Netanyahu.
"This is a tremendous vote of confidence and a victory that will give Netanyahu the tools to form the next government and continue to do good for the State of Israel," he told the Ynet studio.
Likud minister Miri Regev proclaimed an "overwhelming victory" for Netanyahu's party.
"The nation had its say, a referendum that proved the trust of the people in Netanyahu and in the Likud, with all the indictments and all the attempts to depose Netanyahu," Regev said.
Foreign minister and Likud MK Israel Katz called the results "a huge achievement for Likud and expression of confidence in Netanyahu."
Knesset Speaker and Likud MK Yuli Edelstein wrote, "according to the numbers, it is a great victory for Likud and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The people have spoken – they want Likud. We will form a strong and good government that will work for all Israeli citizens and bring the country back on track."
Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Liberman, whose party is predicted to get 6-8 seats, said he is still waiting on the final results before acting.
"Any seat could be critical. We will wait for the final results and only then will a situation assessment be done."
Yisrael Beytenu Knesset faction leader MK Oded Forer said his party will keep striving for a liberal national government.
"We will make sure a government is formed. We will not betray our principles," Forer said. "Our objective is a liberal national government, which is what the majority of the public wants."
Shas chairman Aryeh Deri shared a tweet thanking "hundreds of thousands of Shas voters who put their faith in the movement once again."
Two more Israelis test positive for COVID-19 after returning from a trip to Italy, where the number of infected nears 2,000; 7 out of the 12 patients, currently in quarantine, contracted the virus in the European country
Two more people have tested positive for coronavirus, rising the number of cases in Israel to at least 12, the Health Ministry confirmed on Monday.
One of the patients is a resident of Ramat Gan in central Israel, while the other is from the city of Ashdod in the south. The two returned from Italy on February 25 and 26 respectively. The two were set to be taken to the dedicated quarantine area at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, where the other 10 coronavirus patients currently reside.
Italy is now among the countries severely affected by the health crisis, with 52 confirmed fatalities and over 1,694 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus.
Last week the Health Ministry issued a travel warning to the country, adding that anyone returning from the European state must immediately self-quarantine for 14 days.
On Sunday, three more people were confirmed to have tested positive for the new virus, with two of them also recently returning from Italy.
The third patient is a female IDF soldier who worked at a toy shop in the city of Or Yehuda near Tel Aviv.
She contracted the virus from the store’s manager who was diagnosed with the illness last Thursday, four days after returning from a trip to Italy. The man's wife has since also contracted the virus. The couple lives in the community of Irus, located south of Rishon LeZion in central Israel, but are currently in quarantine at Sheba Medical Center.
A man from Migdal HaEmek in northern Israel also contracted the disease while on a trip to the European country and tested positive upon his arrival to Israel last week.
The other four coronavirus patients returned from Japan after being quarantined for two weeks on the virus-hit cruise liner, the Diamond Princess. One of the patients has since recovered and was released from hospital.
Two more people have tested positive for coronavirus, rising the number of cases in Israel to at least 12, the Health Ministry confirmed on Monday.
One of the patients is a resident of Ramat Gan in central Israel, while the other is from the city of Ashdod in the south. The two returned from Italy on February 25 and 26 respectively. The two were set to be taken to the dedicated quarantine area at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, where the other 10 coronavirus patients currently reside.
Italy is now among the countries severely affected by the health crisis, with 52 confirmed fatalities and over 1,694 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus.
Last week the Health Ministry issued a travel warning to the country, adding that anyone returning from the European state must immediately self-quarantine for 14 days.
On Sunday, three more people were confirmed to have tested positive for the new virus, with two of them also recently returning from Italy.
The third patient is a female IDF soldier who worked at a toy shop in the city of Or Yehuda near Tel Aviv.
She contracted the virus from the store’s manager who was diagnosed with the illness last Thursday, four days after returning from a trip to Italy. The man's wife has since also contracted the virus. The couple lives in the community of Irus, located south of Rishon LeZion in central Israel, but are currently in quarantine at Sheba Medical Center.
A man from Migdal HaEmek in northern Israel also contracted the disease while on a trip to the European country and tested positive upon his arrival to Israel last week.
The other four coronavirus patients returned from Japan after being quarantined for two weeks on the virus-hit cruise liner, the Diamond Princess. One of the patients has since recovered and was released from hospital.
