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Subscribe to RSSPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks set to win a third term in office, pushing the country further to the right, away from peace with the Palestinians and possibly towards a showdown with Iran. NBC's Jim Maceda reports.
TEL AVIV — Israelis headed to the polls Tuesday in an election that was expected to give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a third term in office and mark a shift to the political right.
More than 5.6 million Israeli are eligible to vote, and results are expected Wednesday morning.
Exit polls showed the Israeli leader's Likud party, yoked with the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu group, would still be the biggest bloc in the 120-member assembly with 31 seats, 11 fewer than the 42 they held in the previous parliament.
The vote is expected to be followed by talks between different political parties to form a coalition government since no single party is likely to get an outright majority of the 120 seats in the Knesset.
Netanyahu’s Likud party is running with the nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, and opinion polls have showed a surge in support for the far-right Jewish Home party, Reuters reported.
Several Israeli Arabs and Palestinians claimed Tuesday that Israel was moving toward “fascism and racism” and said that hope for the creation of Palestinian nation as part of the proposed two-state solution to the Mideast crisis was fading.
In Tel Aviv, however, voter Ari Abacsis, in his late 20s, said Netanyahu was a proven leader.
Millionaire Naftali Bennett, who is bitterly opposed to a Palestinian state, is set to propel his party into a key position during upcoming elections. NBC's John Ray reports.
“I think Netanyahu did it in the past and he did it quiet well. Nobody is perfect, but Netanyahu fits the requirements,” he said.
“He did some good things. He brought back Gilad Shalit [the Israeli soldier held for years in Gaza]. We remember him for that and for a lot of other things,” he added. “All the others didn't prove themselves. He proves himself. I think we don't know what is happening behind the scenes.”
Young people have 'lost hope'
Yaffa Braverman, 58, an art gallery owner in Tel Aviv, criticized the number of small parties in Israeli politics.
“The problem is the system. We need more big parties that are capable of making important decisions, and the way that we'll do it again is based on small parties and everyone fighting for his own chair,” she said. “I think that's why the young generation has lost hope.”
Avi Shai, 35, financial adviser also from Tel Aviv, said he hoped Netanyahu would develop better relations with the United States and move to the left.
“I don't see any resolution coming because it's a different situation we're in," he said. "A lot of things can happen in the near and far future. Everything is liquid here in the Middle East. It doesn't matter which prime minister is elected -- a lot of things can happen."
“I hope that Prime Minister Netanyahu would be more in the left wing and would have better agreement with Obama, which is not the case right now,” he added.
Palestinians living in Israel expressed a similar lack of hope, but in much stronger terms.
Hana Hurani, 34, an engineer from Eilaboun in the north and an activist in the National Democratic Assembly, said Israel’s politics were headed toward “fascism and racism.”
“We, the Arabs, should stress our national identity and our unity as Arabs. Election day is a day on which Arabs try to represent themselves, and after that we go back to a racist reality,” he said.
“On the Palestinian issue, I expect there to be a stalemate and as there will be more settlement expansion, we will witness the final burial of the two-state solution on which there is an international consensus,” he added.
'Indifference is fatal'
Hurani said Israeli Arabs should “be more active” politically: “Indifference is fatal. … Unfortunately, ignorance and abstention from voting is one of our enemies."
Nijmeh Ali, 30, a political science Ph.D. candidate at the Hebrew University and a lecturer at Al Quds University in Jerusalem, said it was clear from opinion polls that the next government would be right-wing.
“The Palestinian street is boiling, and it will explode at one point against the existing occupation,” he said.
“There is racism and discrimination against the Arabs in Israel, and this will not change since we are a defect in the Zionist project, whether we demand our social or political rights. The legitimization of racism will increase,” he added.
Mustafa Barghuti, 55, a member of the Palestinian National initiative in Ramallah on the West Bank, said most Israelis were voting for Jewish settlements and an “apartheid system at the expense of peace and a two-state solution.”
“It looks like there is no peace camp in Israel,” he added.
Fawzi Barhum, a spokesman for the Hamas movement in Gaza, said he expected that Israel would elect the “most extreme and racist government to lead Israel.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
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The poor jews in Isreal better start looking after themselves. Their rich NY and Calif brethern in the States have sold them down the river by voting for Obama! If the US Jews are left, and Isreal Jews are right, then NO MO Obama money for Isreal.
Your grammar and spelling is so atrocious as to detract from your entire post.
If Israel goes Far Right we should cut them off. No sort of government we should be supporting. It isn't Obama money, it belongs to the US taxpayer and it sure doesn't belong to Bibi and his Far Right kooks. And never mind the Israeli's have a stockpile of nukes. Not a good situation all the way around.
We should cut Israel off no matter what. They are already far right, war mongering,greedy, selfish, parasites with no regard for anyone but themselves.
Israel's economy is
thriving in a global economic meltdown. The Jewish state's 2009-12 economic
growth of 14.7 percent leads all the advanced countries of the world, followed
by Australia with 10.7; Canada 4.8; United States 3.2; Germany 2.7; France 0.3;
European Union minus 1.5 percent.
Israel's economy is thriving and America is deeply in debt, thanks in part to the Iraq war, which was planned and sold by Zionists, led by Paul Wolfowitz. Somehow, these parasites manage to bribe our congressmen and women into continuing to grant billions of dollars in aid and military equipment to them, while America is on the verge of bankruptcy. Last year, we agreed to 10 billion dollars in loan guarantees, with America picking up the tab for the fees and interest. The bill was written and sponsored by Jews in our Congress, led by Eric Cantor. Jews working hard for Israel, while being paid by the American taxpayer.
We also paid for their "Iron Dome" missile defense systemto the tune of 1 billion dollars, while giving them their annual 3 billion dollars in aid.
Stop supporting greedy parasites.
Does anyone realize that when Bush was in power and the Zionists controlled the Pentagon, 2.3 trillion dollars went missing from the Pentagon, just before it was hit on 9/11? How convenient. for the perpetrators.
Here is a 43 minute video, detailing 9/11. It is mind boggling to see the names and how they were connected.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_fp5kaVYhk
Far right is generally not a position that leads to compromise, but I'm not sure far left would be any better. I imagine it was the far left that gave Gaza back to the Palestinians, and rightly so at the time, but that hasn't worked out very well, has it? If Israel still occupied it, there would be no rockets coming over the border, no blockade as Hamas wouldn't be in power there, and Palestinians would still be coming across the border into Israel to work.
While I don't think anything good will come of it, I can see why Israelis are leaning more right than ever these days.
Would Hitlers party be considered far right? When you become a extremist it seems you can justify any action such as the killing of millions of Jews in Europe. Will the far right in Israel also start to justify the killing or mass deportation of Palestine's as well?
Palestinians can end the battles by moving to Saudi Arabia with Hamas having Mecca as capital and Fath having Medina as capital.
Saudi Arabia will have more suicide bombers and rocket attackers for their jihads with non-Muslims.
My impression is that this is an election where fear is the principal issue thus leading to an entrenched right wing government. I suspect this gov will eventually launch a military strike against Iran. I sincerely hope President Obama does not fall into support for them as it will both stain the US sentiments within Iran and lead to much more bloodshed and more money to add to the deficit. If Israel acts then so be it on their own. As Zbig Berzinski noted Iran would be completely insane to use a nuclear device as it would loead to their total annihilation. They want it as a publicity weapon. An uprising will soon start against the mad mullahs and motorbike thugs who rule Iran. Once Syria falls it will embolden the majority of Iranians. Israel should stay out of that.
Theocracy is the most dangerous form of government.
At least the Israelis are smart enough to go towards the Conservative philosophy and their country and economy is improving. But the uninformed and unintelligent voter in the U.S. is going to the left and further decline of the country.
Ralph - Your support of the fanatical theocratic dictators of the pedophile ayatollahs in Iran is well known. You are clearly the ahmadinejad agent posting ALL of his talking points, often word-for-word. You are better served getting your murderous mullahs off the backs of the Iranian people. Shame on you for supporting worldwide terror against the US.
Blackbird - I tend to agree with you, partially. Zbigniu is an idiot. I do believe that Iran will not launch a nuke attack, but will transfer the small dirty nuke devices to be smuggled and detonated in different parts of the world - and claim no respopnsibility. That is the real concern.
CNN is reporting the opposite of this. They are reporting that the Centrists are doing better than expected in the election.
Israel needs to be more offensive in its actions.
Islamic extremists, especially Sunnis, have become too dangerous for non-Muslims like Jews of Israel and other nations.
Only way to face them are:
1. Attack the sources like Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait and other Arab League nations.
2. Support the enemies (like Iran, Syria and other Shiites groups) of the No. 1 enemy Sunni Islamic extremists like Hamas.
To weaken the No. 1 enemy Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia and co, remove the sanctions on Iranian oil and crash oil prices.
Go Israel, Go Israel: let us see how far the Islamic extremists like Hamas can jump!
"Several Israeli Arabs and Palestinians claimed Tuesday that Israel was moving toward “fascism and racism” and said that hope for the creation of Palestinian nation as part of the proposed two-state solution to the Mideast crisis was fading."
Great!
Israel ought to keep as many Islamic extremists busy right in ME itself.
Or else, these Islamic extremists, especially Sunni ones, will be going around hunting for non-Muslims or Muslims on the basis of sect/tribe, if non-Muslims are not available.
Instead of bothering about Syria and Iran, Israel ought to erase fountainheads of Islamic extremism like oil rich one-way traffic Sunni bigoted and high despotic Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and some more Sunni Arab League nations from the map.
NO NO NO. You are scaring us into backing israel up and that is not the case. The fact is that israelis are occupying Palestinians and using my tax dollars to show what a racist set of people they are.
There are many many lawss in israel that target israeli Arabs such as the inability to live in israel if they marry a Palestinian from the west bank. What a RACIST law that is. Imaging if you couldn't live in Washington DC beause you married a black person ....
What a sick bunch of israeli apologists that will show up on here IN FORCE defending israel today. Watch out and don't fall for their crap. Think about your own tax dollars going to israel overseas and to HUMULIATE people in general.
Are we so well off and rich to keep giving israel money ? They are actually STEALING it from us by legislating that we give ti to them in congress. GREAT trick. BUY congressional candidtaes and make sure they vote to send money to israel.
WHY? Excatly WHY do we give the israelis money when they kill and maime innocent kids and women? ASK yourself WHY ????
Saudi Arabia holds the two holy cities of Islam. If Israel was to fire one bullet towards Saudi Arabia, it will lead to violence towards Jews worldwide. Do you really want this to happen?
Conard: Anyhow tax dollars went into Iraqi wars to save the most bigoted despotic seventh century Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and others.
Our huge debts and mess in economy were due to wars and high oil price manipulations by the backstabbing oil rich Sunni rulers starting from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait.
We should oppose sending our tax dollars to Israel. Hope Israel can fight on its own as they have done most of the times.
Anyhow, take it or leave it: there is going going to be clash of religions - Muslims vs non-Muslims.
I don't mind Israel being in the front line of battles.
Jews of Israel and Sunni Islamic extremists are made for each other.
If Muslims create or invent more problems and Jerusalem, Israel should attack Mecca and Medina.
What is your problem if they battle each other?
Kudos to Israel! You are re-electing a great leader while people in the States re-elected the true fascist.
Only a TRAITOR would call our president a facist while praising a criminal .... Great leader my arse .... DOWN with israel and the talmud which calls us non jews BEASTS !!!!!! Look up the TALMUD before you back the israelis up blindly....
Roger: Your comment needs to be taken off the forum. Sick.
I guess this is a really gentle description of reality which is that israelis in general are not nice people and they really do want to continue to occupy the Palestinians and usurping them and their economy like slaves. The checkpoints, the subjugation and humiliation of Palestinians is now normalized.
Well, I will maintain my opinion of israelis in general and will advocate that no more of my tax dollars go to the enslavement of an entire population. In fact, I will aDVISE MOST AMERICANS TO not VOTE FOR ANYONE THAT FAVORS ISRAELI POLICY in congress or the senate. If they are for israel right or wronbg, they are BOUGHT and PAID for by the israeli lobby. VOTE them OUT.
Finally, my message to the israeli people is take a very good look at yourselves. You are showing your racist colors and the american public might understand that they are backing the wrong side. If jews are america's friend, they wouldn't advocate a war with Iran getting us into more trouble and more wars for the sake of israel.
Down with the TALMUD!!!!
Conrad - Seems that you have no problem with islamic theocracy, but you do have problem with israeli democracy. And the reason is... they are jews?
Weak attempt, Farideh. Conrad has stated his problem with theocracies. You lose readers when you grasp at the "you don't like Jews" accusation. No basis to even try it. Improve your argument instead of making personal attacks.
Elect Kinky Friedman!
YEAH!
♫♪♫ "They ain't makin' jews ♫
♫♪♫ like Jesus any more" ♪
:D
Wow, you guys advocate no more financial aide to Israel but support a President who believes in financial aide to the Muslim Brotherhood (officially listed as a terrorist organization) govt in Egypt! Very telling....
Does no one see hte irony in the Israelis going farther to the right. Has history taught them nothing?
History thought them when they go to the left, like giving Gaza to the palestinians by a leftist government, they get bombarded daily. So, they go to the right. We do the same when we are in wars, from left to right and back and forth. So did France. Did we learn anything?
Farideh, Israel didn't give Gaza to the Palestinians. The Brits promised it to Husayn bin Ali in exchange for allying against the Ottoman empire way back in 1915.
Real simple. Stop lobbing the missiles into Israel. Israel put up the walls to stop terrorist attacks and it worked. The Palestians better accept that Isreal is not going anywhere so they might as well sit down and make a deal or they will just keep expanding as an offensive move.
Just like in America, I did not vote for Obama but he is in power and because the Republicans want to fight him about everything, he is just going to steam roll them and put in tons of liberal/left leaning laws. Republicans would have had a better chance by try to meet him part way rather than wanting everything their way, now we are stuck.
The Palestinians better get a grip on it or they are going to be living in less and less land under worse conditions. Does not matter to me? If that is their choice, they will have to live with it.
If America wants to cut off aid to Israel, I am ok with that too. American Jews will just have to contribute more to Israel. We'll do it. We know the consequences if we dont. Life is full of choices. The US has to straighten out our economy. Cut off everyone's aid. You think I like seeing young american men dying or losing limbs or having post traumatic syndrome in places like Afghanistan or Pakistan or Iraq? No way. Get them all home. We can be in the black by just getting out of those places and cutting off everyone's aid. You learn to adjust or perish. Really that simple.
jp - You don't lob missiles. The "freedom fighters" are firing mortars and bottle rockets in retaliation for the theft of their land and the murdering of their population. Apparently, Israel counts mortar fire as rocket fire, when they tally the attacks. In 2006 alone, Israel killed over 1400 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Israel has been assassinating Palestinian leaders for years.
Ralph, according to his post, would support Native American Indians firing mortars and bottle rockets, although I've never seen bottle rockets go through solid concrete before, into areas bordering their reservations.
Rockets, mortars, who cares, they both kill.
...but they are going somewhere, slowly annexxing the surrounding land. Israel is no longer interested in talking. The next decade could be interesting for them with the national governments around them changing.
"no longer interested in talking", you mean " no longer interested in taking it".
The Palestinians better try to make some kind of deal before they lose more land.
They better stop with the rockets, Israel may be expanding because the missiles have not stopped.
You can call it "annexing" but they won the wars, so they get the land. That is just the way it works. Sorry.
Sucks for you Ralph! Dont stand behind innocent civilians when you shoot off your rockets. You win the wars, you get the land. I'm sorry 1948 did not work out for you better. How many more soldiers and weapons did we have to spot you and you attacked us and you still lost. Better make a deal boys.
JP - The U.S., our allies and the greater majority of the world have been quite vocal on the illegality of Israel's continued annexing of occupied territory. Do you agree with the Geneva convention? Are you in opposition of it? It sounds as if you disagree with the overwhelming consensus of Americans and every one of our administrations (Rep and Dem) which have repeatedly called the annexing exactly what it is: illegal. You don't get to keep land just because you attack it first and win. Might doesn't make right.
Aren't you contradicting yourself or just being obtuse?
Like the Sinai peninsula? Oh thats right, they gave it back to Egypt. Ya know, I guess that means Iraq is property of the US now!
The headline seems to be a bit insulting:
"Sh*t to Right Expected.." and a picture of Netanyuha.
I mean I do not like him, but I would not call him that.
Damn israel ultra-right zionists!
Damn German nazzis. We have far right parties too, that is called democracy, something you didn't have in your nazzi Germany.
So an exile iranian who betrays one's own country now becomes the zionist israel's mouthpiece. How pathetic!
It is appalling when criminal acts of countries like Israel are brushed under the rug just because they have a "democracy"!
Democracy DOES NOT give a license to steal others land, enslave others and break international laws and expect world to ignore it because you have a democracy! So spare us from this israel democracy mantra.
Nazi Germany was a a thing of the past, so will zionism in israel.
With the U.S. sending F-16s to Egypt who can blame the Israelis?
That shows you the length US went to appease Israelis!
"Leave Israel alone, and we will reward you with F-16s..." That's what has been going on for 20+ years.
And Israel got 3 f-16s for every f-16 egypt got.. And here we are cutting grandmas social security and medicare and increase tax on middle class.
Chuck Shumer has exacted a price for supporting Hagel for Secretary of Defense. The price is that Hagel had to promise quick delivery of F35s, which America will now provide the Israeli war mongers.
The deal, to be finalized in coming weeks, marks a big step forward for
Israel's $2.75 billion agreement to buy 19 F-35 jets, which was signed in
October 2010 and includes options for up to 75 of the radar-evading
fighters.
The Pentagon said the Israeli foreign arms sale could be worth up to $15.2
billion if all options are exercised, when it first approved the sale in
September 2008.
"This agreement kicks off the Israeli program," said one of the sources, who
was not authorized to speak on the record. "Now all of the agreements are in
place."
The F-35 will allow for even greater collaboration in the coming years with
Israel, a critical strategic ally for the United States at a time when much of
the Middle East is in turmoil.
I would love to think that Israelis will pay for F-35s.. I have a sour feeling that we will pick up the tab some way or somehow.
It will probably be called "Aid" and hand out the source codes to Israelis as well.
iranian ralph - Your ahmadinejad talking points are becoming stupid. You are better served getting your murderous pedophile and filthy ayatollahs off the backs of the Iranian people and STOP supporting global terrorism against the Americans.
Makes no difference who wins the election; constant wars and endless killing for world domination are a given for the bogus Israeli state; all with the blessing of Yaweh and USA taxpayer money of course.
Well there is always hope that somehow with common sense come to power and bring Israel up to code with human standards.
People old enough will remember Yitzhak Rabin.
Is it possible that Israel will now force WWIII by attacking Iran knowing that the US will be forced to back them but causing China and Russia to back Iran? Is this a type of natural population control where the Earth probably needs to reduce the human population by two billion or so and this war could do it?
More evidence they do not want peace, just annexation of the whole West Bank and the US to pay for it all while they can afford a welfare state with state paid medical expenses and education while we send them another yearly check. It amazes me Israel is referred to as an ally. Any time we ask them to stop the settlements they snub their noses at us.
Theocracy is the most dangerous form of government.
Like "islamic republic" of Iran, Saudi Arabia, soon Egypt and Syria.
Farideh, you forgot Israel.
Eventually when the arab population in Israel gets to be larger than the jewish population
the only option left for the Israeli govt will be apartheid
and we all know what eventually happens to nations that try that.
Do the names Soweto and Johannesburg ring a bell?
We just had elections in the US with different parties battling it out - we celebrated that and called it democracy - but if Israel does it........ heavens forbid. Muslim countries can turn to brutal theocracy, and most posters here will keep their mouth shut.
They are moving even further to the right??? Oh my, they really are getting more extremist by the day...on our dime, to make matters worse.
Egypt is getting more extremist by the day...on our dime, so is Pakistan....on our dime, and hiding terrorists and killing Americans, while receiving our dime.
U.S.S. Liberty. also our dime and our deaths.
USS Cole, USS Stark, WTC, Ft. Hood, second 9/11 - but you rather forget those, because... the extremists (left or right) back anyone, any terrorists, any anti American, any anarchists - as long as it is anti jews. Got it.
I know...
It never ceases to amaze me how there is absolutely no money here at home for social programs, education, infrastructure and so forth, but to foster maniacs around the world there is always excess cash...
I agree. Please copy your comments and post it again with stories about Egypt, Pakistan, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Sudan ( all of our enemies - you can finish the list).
Netanyahu is a tough realist who has seen through the folly of land-for-peace diplomacy. As long as the Arabs teach their children that all of Israel is occupied Palestine, there can be no lasting peace. Israel must go about its business of building a strong, modern democracy in the midst of authoritarian regimes leading backward nations.
it's a free world and do what you want
BUT, not on my hard earned American tax dollars
Too much for too long and with no good results
No liberal is going to agree with Israel...those people live in a very dangerous part of the world...while liberals live off the government largesse...very, very different people...
Dee can't even find Israel on a blank world map
Education and civility is important
Israel is following in our American Taliban/Republican party's footsteps.
Fooled
As an American taxpayer and true citizen, Israel has conned us for far too long. Wake up citizens.
Send it to Pakistan. It's better over there.
American redneck hillbilly warhawks and Israeli Alliance
Not with an increasing amount of educated American Jews though
There must be a change in the way our government deals with Israel. The mood and vibe of the American People no longer feels an ounce of sympathy for this brutal Country. We send them billions for their warmongering ways. We NEED that money here to educate OUR children instead of killing other's children.
While Israel will always have the evangelical nutjobs, let them support the country.
I suggest for anyone that hasn't come to your senses, just google Israel and White Phosphorus and let me know if this is the way you want to spend your money.
So you say withhold aid because you don't agree with results of their election? It is called "democracy". Get used to it.