The Israeli Election

The results are in and the centrist Kadima edged the conservative Likud 28 seats to 27. But parties of the right took 65 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, while the left took 55 (if you count Kadima among the left). The party most associated with the founding of Israel, Labour, sank to fourth place with only 13 seats. The far-right Yisrael Beytenu placed third with 15 seats. In this election the left was eviscerated and the right triumphant. The only thing that might prevent a conservative rejectionist government is if Kadima can cobble together a loose and tenuous alliance of Labour and some smaller right-wing parties. Otherwise Benjamin Netanyahu will likely be prime minister, and the forward movement that might have been available to a peace initiative from President Obama will be squandared.