A12 EZ SU THE WASHINGTON POST.WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 , 2019
Liberman willing to join a Netan-
yahu government, or Gantz will-
ing to govern with Netanyahu, or
it has to be Likud deciding it
would rather be in government
without Netanyahu than out of
government with Netanyahu.”
Analysts were unsure how the
unusual do-over campaign, large-
ly unfolding over the summer
holidays, would affect voter turn-
out, which typically nears 70 per-
cent. Public transportation is free
on election day, and many work-
ers get the day off.
Voter turnout Tuesday was
measured at 69.4 percent, an
increase of 1.5 percent from
April’s 67.9 percent turnout.
Among the surprise results
was an apparent surge in support
for Arab parties, which initial
projections showed could win as
many as 15 seats in the Knesset.
Such a showing would be historic.
In an interview with Israel’s
Channel 13 television, Ayman
Odeh, the chairman of the Joint
List and a current Arab member
of the Knesset, said he believed
Netanyahu’s repeated attacks on
Arabs inspired more to come out
and vote than ever before.
“There is no other prime min-
ister who incited against us like
Netanyahu. All of them put to-
gether didn’t i ncite against us like
Netanyahu did on his own,” he
said. “First the Arabs were com-
ing out in droves, then the Arabs
were stealing [the election], then
the Arabs want to destroy us and
our children.”
“There’s a limit. The Arab citi-
zens undoubtedly felt that they
became a persecuted minority.”
Arab voters said much the
same.
“Today is a very important day
because we have one aim — w hich
is bringing down Benjamin Ne-
tanyahu,” said Adnan Zoabi, 27, a
teacher who voted in Sulam, an
Arab village in northern Israel.
“With all of our differences, we
have one aim today. God willing,
we’ll succeed.”
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]Miriam Berger contributed to this
report.wise, this is an emergency,” Liber-
man said, speaking to supporters.
By midnight, Israel’s boister-
ous commentariat was buzzing
with all the possible coalitions
that could emerge in coming
weeks. For Reuven Hazan, a pro-
fessor of political science at the
Hebrew University in Jerusalem,
the most likely scenario was a
negotiation period in which one
of the various stubborn contend-
ers would have to reconsider his
earlier stances.
“Somebody is going to have to
stray from their campaign prom-
ises,” he said. “It either has to beseats for his own secular nation-
alist faction Yisrael Beiteinu to
once again play the role of king-
maker.
Liberman, speaking late Tues-
day, urged the formation of a
unity government that would in-
clude Likud, Blue and White and
his party. Gantz, among other
centrists, has said his party w ould
serve in a coalition with Likud
only if someone other than Ne-
tanyahu led the party. Liberman
stopped short of announcing
whom he would endorse as prime
minister.
“Both security- and economy-He may have fallen short.
“A ssuming the numbers hold,
this is almost Bibi’s worst night-
mare,” said Aaron David Miller, a
longtime Israel specialist and
senior fellow at the Carnegie En-
dowment for International Peace.
“This is the guy who has pulled
many rabbits out of his hat, but I
think the magic is gone.”
Standing in the middle of the
coming blizzard of dealmaking is
Liberman, who in the spring
denied Likud the majority it
needed by one seat. Liberman, a
Moldovan-born former bouncer,
appears to have won enoughshows, election after election.”
The race largely came down to
a referendum on the political
future of Netanyahu.
After failing to form a govern-
ment following a similarly close
vote in April, Netanyahu forced
the extraordinary second elec-
tion. He campaigned fiercely,
trumpeting his close relation-
ships with Donald Trump and
Vladimir Putin and unspooling a
string of controversial pro-
nouncements, including pledg-
ing to annex parts of the West
Bank and alleging widespread
voting fraud in Arab precincts.echoing convention hall. More
likely, he said, was an outcome
most Israelis would dread:
months of political gridlock lead-
ing to a third election.
But standing nearby, political
journalist and Netanyahu biogra-
pher Anshel Pfeffer suggested
that the result spelled deep trou-
ble for the political icon univer-
sally known here as Bibi.
“This is the first time in 10
years that there are signs the spell
of Netanyahu is breaking,” P feffer
said.
While Israeli exit polls have a
mixed record of accurately pre-
dicting election results, the three
polls would have to be egregious-
ly incorrect for either of the
leading parties to actually ap-
proach an outright majority. Offi-
cial results were expected to be-
gin trickling out Wednesday.
Speaking early Wednesday to a
crowd of supporters, Gantz
vowed not to give up the fight
against Netanyahu. “A ccording to
the results right now, Netanyahu
didn’t manage to finish his mis-
sion,” he said.
“Millions of citizens chose to
say no to incitement and schism
and yes to unity,” said Gantz, who
repeatedly asked his excited sup-
porters for patience in coming
weeks. He said he plans “to speak
with everyone” in negotiating a
coalition, specifically noting for-
mer defense minister Avigdor
Liberman, an erstwhile ally of
Netanyahu.
The exit polls gave heart to
Gantz’s supporters, even as they
acknowledged that the polls are
notoriously imprecise and that
the close vote could mean months
of uncertainty. The country’s
complex coalition rules will allow
multiple parties to play a part in
assembling a governing coalition,
but Gantz’s team has concluded
that he is well positioned to get
the first crack at building one.
“I’m very excited, and these are
good results for us,” said Blue and
White strategist David Berkovish
at the party’s Tel Aviv election
gathering. “But we need to be
patient to see the real numbers.
Israel is split in the middle, and it
ISRAEL FROM A
Israel awaits results of an election heavy with ramifications for Netanyahu
ODED BALILTY/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ultra-Orthodox Jews wait to vote in Bnei Brak, Israel, on Tuesday. The ultra-Orthodox account for about 10 percent of Israel’s population
but vote in high numbers and are a key part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conservative base of support.Build With
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