Free Republic

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is suddenly the favorite to mount a comeback after current Prime Minister Naftali Bennett lost the majority he needs to hold his coalition together with a key defection on Wednesday. Israel’s government looked set to crumble Wednesday after coalition whip Idit Silman announced she is quitting to form a new government, causing the ruling coalition headed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to lose its majority. … Silman, who is a member of Knesset in Bennett’s Yamina party, chose to defect after she clashed with Israel’s Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz over his order to hospitals...

Final polls published in the Hebrew daily's before the January 28 elections show the Likud holding steady at between 30-33 mandates with Labor polling at 18 – 19 seats. The polls show right-wing parties clinching 63-64 seats in the 120 seat Knesset with the Left and the Arab parties receiving 40 –41 seats and the center parties raking in 16-18 seats. While the right has enough to form a narrow coalition Government, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has indicated that he prefers to join forces with the Labor party rather than to create a narrow right-wing government with some of the...