As former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, closes in on victory, many Palestinians fear an escalation of violence.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Wednesday said that the rise of rightwing parties was a result of growing extremism in Israeli society which the Palestinians have suffered for years. It is to be noted that Palestine has maintained relations with the left-leaning parties in Israel, with the hope of resumption of peace talks.
“Elections would not change anything because they were taking place between two extremist right-wing groups and in the absence of a true peace camp.” the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative Mustafa Baguti was quoted as saying by Arab News.
With nearly 90 per cent of ballots counted in the Israeli general elections, veteran politician Benjamin Netanyahu was poised to be the prime minister once again, according to official data.
Netanyahu’s party Likud and its far-right allies are projected to receive a clear majority with 65 seats in the 120-member Knesset or Parliament.
Likud leader Netanyahu, 73, will with near certainty be Israel’s next prime minister after approximately 90 per cent of the votes counted, the Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted the Central Election Committee’s data.
The Netanyahu coalition will consist of 65 MKs (Members of the Israeli parliament), while the Lapid bloc will consist of 50 and Hadash-Ta’al five.
The results after 88.6 per cent of the vote were: Likud 32, Yesh Atid 24, Religious Zionism Party (RZP) 14, National Unity 12, Shas 11, United Torah Judaism (UTJ) eight, Yisrael Beytenu five, Ra’am five, Hadash-Ta’al five and Labor four, the report said on Wednesday.
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