8 Responses

1. If that math is correct (which is highly unlikely given the difficulty of polling in Israel), it would mean that the right wing parties will be defeated since Likud and Yesh Atid are losing far more seats than Bayit Yehudi is gaining, and together the three core parties of the government will be down to under 60 seats (meaning a coalition of the left winger, hareidi and Arab parties could come to power on a platform of anti-austerity and ending conscription).

2. Don’t believe polls so fast. Bayit Yehudi may be gaining, since they are the only party right now, standing up for the Land.

   #1. for once you’re probably right. The Chareidi parties would work with the Leftists and Arabs, which is further evidence that they are don’t care about the Land and should never be in the government.

3. The last time Meretz got 12 seats was 1992, and they became the #2 party in a coalition with Labor (44 seats) and Shas (6 seats). What followed was universal health insurance, an end to the Settlement Enterprise, and the Oslo Accords.

4. The likely result of a Left-Arab-Hareidi coaltion would be an end to austerity measures leading to the Shekel becoming a weak currency (currently its among the world’s strongest), abolition of conscription (a life or death matter for the hareidim), and a willingness for massive territorial concession in return for the illusion of peace. To make it work, the socialist left has to focus on economics and foreign affairs, and forget that until recently they were quire anti-religious.

   If this coalition doesn’t materialize, and the nationalist parties (Likud, Yesh Atid and Bayit Yehudi) go through with their plans to attack the yeshivos, the alternative for the hareidim will be to ally with the Palestinians in opposing the continued existence of the medinah, which while being the platform of Neturei karta, would only get broader support if the hareidim were faced with no other options in resisting the “war” against them declared by the nationalist parties (though I suspect the nationalist camp doesn’t want to push the hareidim that far, and will back off their war against the frum once they see it might bring the left back to power).

5. Barry,

   in that scenario no one one the left should be part of the government then

6. בס”ד

   ניצחון ענק וגורף להחרדים

   הגאון רבי דוד לאו שליט”א והגאון רבי יצחק יוסף שליט”א הם הרבנים החרדים הראשיים הנבחרים. זה נקמה מתוקה על כל ההתנהגות של הבית היהודי
   אבל ראש עיריית ירושלים, ניר ברקת שהגיע מהראשונים להצביע אמר: “אני בעד רב ציוני למדינת ישראל”

   וסגן השר לשירותי דת, הרב אלי בן דהן, מסר במהלך ההצבעה: “הליך הבחירות הדמוקרטי לרבנים הראשיים לישראל החל. אני מקווה שהערב נוכל להכריז על בחירתו של רב ציוני דתי אחד לפחות

   יהי רצון שיתמו שונאינו

7. akuperma, the fact that you call Yesh Atid right wing, or nationalist shows that you don’t know much about Israeli political parties.

8. #7 – 1. Economics, they are pure right wing — similar to US Republicans but leaving out the first word from “compassionate conservative”. They are heavily pro-business and pro-middle class, and very unsocialist.

   2. They are clearly nationalists – not as much as Likud, but radically to the left of Labor or Meretz (which is how the Lapids ended up in their own party, since they couldn’t get along with the left).

   3. His support for keeping large chunks of the West Bank are also clearly not “left”