Bibi wins big...
Posted on 03/18/2015 9:04:48 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Barack Obama might have hoped for a leadership change that would reboot his poisoned relationship with Israel’s government. But he didn’t get it on Tuesday, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — thanks in part to a hard lurch right — appeared to make a dramatic comeback after trailing in pre-election polls.
As votes were counted Tuesday night, Netanyahu claimed a dramatic comeback victory. “Against all odds: A great victory for the Likud. A major victory for the Israeli people,” he posted on Facebook.
With more than 99 percent of the votes counted, Netanyahu’s Likud party had earned 30 seats in Israel’s Knesset to 24 seats for the center-left Zionist Union party led by his chief rival, Isaac Herzog. Netanyahu still needs to assemble a governing coalition to extend his rule, but that should be little challenge, given his surprising margin after polls showing a potential Likud defeat.
Indeed, Netanyahu will likely emerge strengthened, leading a more conservative coalition than he did before — and likely emboldened in his conflicts with the Obama administration over how to defend Israel.
The results were demoralizing for Democrats who consider the Israeli leader tantamount to a partisan rival — particularly since Netanyahu’s March 3 speech to Congress arranged by Speaker John Boehner behind the Obama White House’s back. In Herzog, Obama officials saw a possible fresh start with Israel on issues like the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and Iran’s nuclear program.
“They hate him, they should, and they’re praying that he is out of power,” said a former senior Obama administration official as early returns came in Tuesday night.
But if, as seems likely, those prayers aren’t answered, Netanyahu’s relations with Obama are likely to resume at their lowest point yet.
In the closing days of the campaign, Netanyahu seemed to reject his previous support for a Palestinian state, potentially dashing hopes for a renewed peace process still nurtured by Secretary of State John Kerry and other U.S. officials.
Netanyahu also cast himself as the target of foreigners — and while he was vague about the details, pro-Netanyahu media outlets often cited the role of former Obama campaign operative Jeremy Bird, who advised a grass-roots campaign organization that opposes Netanyahu. That group also partnered with the Washington-based OneVoice Movement, an international grass-roots group that supports the two-state solution and has taken State Department funding in the past.
And Netanyahu startled some U.S. observers when he cast the election in a racial light by ominously warning supporters on Election Day that Israeli Arabs were turning out in large numbers against him.
Netanyahu’s “scare tactics made the difference,” said Danny Ayalon, who served as Israel’s ambassador to Washington from 2002 to 2006 under a Likud government. “He now holds all the cards,” Ayalon said.
In Washington, conservatives expressed delight at the results.
“Sure loser: Obama,” tweeted Weekly Standard editor William Kristol.
“His electoral success is all the more impressive given the powerful forces that tried to undermine him, including, sadly, the full weight of the Obama political team. American officials should not be undermining the elected leaders of our closest allies,” Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said in a statement.
In particular, defending a nuclear deal with Iran would have been easier for Obama absent the protests of Netanyahu, who has warned Congress that Obama is striving for “a very bad deal” with Iran. Herzog also questioned the pending deal with Iran, but in more muted tones.
Perhaps the biggest question looming over a Netanyahu victory is how the Obama administration will react to the Israeli leader’s rejection of a Palestinian state; a day before the election, with his victory uncertain, when an interviewer asked whether he would oppose the creation of such a state while prime minister, Netanyahu said yes.
That would be a reversal of Netanyahu’s own stated position, as well a challenge to U.S. policy set in 2002 by President George W. Bush.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki seemed to downplay the remark Monday, saying that “there are many things said leading up to elections.”
Before the full margin of Netanyahu’s victory was clear on Tuesday, Ayalon predicted that “Bibi will retract” the statement.
“He made the remarks as a candidate representing Likud,” he added. “As a prime minister, he represents the government. And that depends on the coalition he builds.”
By Wednesday morning, some were far more pessimistic.
“With Netanyahu withdrawing his already tenuous support for a Palestinian state, it’s safe to say that there isn’t a peace process,” said Matthew Duss, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace.
Oh their prayers were answered all right. Now if they had any humility at all they would reflect on the answer to their prayers and repent.
Noticeably absent from Pollutico's report is the regime's funding for the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars (that we so-far know of) of US Taxpayer funds to support Bibi's ouster. But, then, this is Pollutico.
Dear Politico,
Some takeaways from this election.
1. Elections have consequences
2. Bibi “evolved” on his position with the Palestinians
3. Israel cares more about its survival than Obama’s feelings.
4. Any election Obama supports the other side usually wins.
And finally, the Obama administration should be thanked for once again proving to the world that the best way to bring the Jewish people together is by inciting hatred towards them.
Sincerely,
Real American Jews. (Not the upper west side, socialist elites)
“Gaza was a little lab experiment on how the Pali’s would handle their own homeland.”
Money quote! What further proof is needed? Couple that with the tunnel invasion of last year, and it’s conclusive that neither Israel nor the world needs a SuperGaza on steroids.
Among the supporters of OneVoice International:
Google
Harvard
Labour Friends of Palestine
British Muslims for a Secular Democracy
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
UK Labour Party
They'll get a lot lower when Obama and the rest of the P5+1 ink a deal with Iran.
Obama done messed up.
Wow. Just wow. Why is no one ever held to account for such obnoxious and illegal things?
Obama did as well campaigning for Israeli candidates as he did campaigning for Democrat candidates.
The GOP not only needs to move right, they need to talk plainly, as Bibi did.
No more of that wishy-washy "compassionate conservatism" talk. That motivates nobody.
As an aside, I wonder if Bibi could produce an Hawaiian birth certificate for himself. I'd love to see him up against Hillary or Warren.
Poor Bammy. First, his work to put the Muslim Brotherhood into every nook and cranny backfired in Egypt, and now this.
I love it when Politico is butthurt.
I have a dream ... that Barack Hussein Obama will campaign against the 2016 republican nominee, whether it be Ted Cruz or Scott Walker!
GOP Congress could end that kind of monkey business this afternoon. Could.
Not one mention of the election on CNN. Yesterday the headline was ‘tight race’. You would figure at the least they would say Bibi won.
Boy, this must be killing them.
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