Israeli election results

[borntorum]

Early exit polls are in. Surprisingly they put Kadima just ahead of Likud. But overall the right is predicted to be strenghtened.

Results are expected to be close, with preliminary exit polls giving the ruling Kadima Party 30 seats to 29 for the opposition Likud.
Right-wing Yisrael Beitenu is forecast to be third, pushing Labour into an unprecedented fourth place.
The first official results are not expected for several hours. Final results will come within days.

Obviously, for any chance of peace in the region, it would be better if the Kadima/Labor bloc was re-elected. But there have been so many false dawns there, and so many dashed hopes, is there any point caring any more who is in government?

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Polls close in Israeli election

[JCSkinner]

Not from the Palestinian point of view. They'll still be getting murdered and ethnically cleansed from their own land no matter what bunch of bloodthirsty psychopaths assume power in Zion.

[Andrew49]

BBC: There's a majority to the right bloc. No left govt can be established.

[fergalr]

Please God let Kadima be invited to form the government.

[Duth Ealla]

watch it live on rte's web site in hebrew

[Objecteev]

Latest polls are as the following picture suggests (Left to right: Kadima/Livni, Likud/Bibi, Yisrael Beytenu/Liberman, Avoda/Barak)

(the four different colors are four separate/independent polls)

Borntorum, Your assumption that left is the only side that can reach peace is not empirically true. Look at history. (And I say that as a lefty).

BBC: There's a majority to the right bloc. No left govt can be established.

It is so nice to see the BBC stating what Israel can and can not do Worked so well in the last Gaza conflict

BBC: Please God let Kadima be invited to form the government.

God is not in charge of this process. Shimon Peres, the president of Israel is.

JCSkinner....

[dotski_w_]

BBC: There's a majority to the right bloc. No left govt can be established.

It's premature to say that there is a right-ist majority (well, in an israeli sense). Exit polls are varying a seat or 2 here and there, but the most comprehensive google would give me is this.

Ynet poll: Kadima wins; Labor crashes - Israel News, Ynetnews
# Kadima 28
# Likud 26
# Yisrael Beiteinu 16
# Labor 14
# Shas 10
# United Torah Judaism 6
# Hadash 5
# Jewish Home 4
# United Arab List – Ta'al 4
# Meretz 4
# National Union 3

The 'right' of;
# Likud 26
# Yisrael Beiteinu 16
# United Torah Judaism 6
# Jewish Home 4
# National Union 3

Comes to 55 seats. It measn they only need Shas to support them, but Shas are an odd group, and have often chosen Labor over Likud, and are currently in the Kadima led govt. if they chose to stay with Kadima,

# Kadima 28
# Labor 14
# Shas 10
# Hadash 5
# United Arab List – Ta'al 4
# Meretz 4

That would come to 65 seats. It's far from certain that Shas would stay in the govt if it was depending on Ta'al (or even Hadash or Meretz), but they'd not be keen I'd have thought of going in with the alternatives either.

[borntorum]

Borntorum, Your assumption that left is the only side that can reach peace is not empirically true. Look at history. (And I say that as a lefty).

Undoubtedly history shows that it is often the right wing / nationalists who are able to secure the compromises necessary for peace. But I doubt that Likud could come to a genuine agreement with the Palestinians when Netanyahu still does not accept the concept of a two-state solution. Even George W Bush favoured that approach.

Perhaps Kadima could include the far-right in government, and this might provide a fig-leaf when attempting to negotiate with Abbas

[dotski_w_]

Perhaps Kadima could include the far-right in government, and this might provide a fig-leaf when attempting to negotiate with Abbas

Not sure how that would reach 60+ seats on these figures................

[borntorum]

Not sure how that would reach 60+ seats on these figures................

Kadima + Labor + Lieberman + assorted mini-parties.

Israeli parties are nothing if not promiscuous. I think Tzipi was flirting with the far-right recently; there's no guarantee that Lieberman would choose Likud over Kadima