re: #76 Justanotherhuman

Haaretz is saying Likud got 30 seats; Zionist Union 24; Joint List 14. Who will the Joint List and other parties align with? I suppose it depends upon how nationalistically rightwing they are.

Netanyahu can’t rule without cooperation from then, can he? He hasn’t got a mandate, not with 30 votes.

6:06 A.M. With 99 percent of the ballots counted, Likud is increasing its lead with 30 Knesset seats, compared to the Zionist Union’s 24.

The Joint List, the third-largest party, gets 14 seats, followed by Yesh Atid with 11, Kulanu with 10, Habayit Hayehudi with eight, Shas with seven, United Torah Judaism with six, Yisrael Beiteinu with six, and Meretz with four. It appears at this point that Yahad has not crossed the electoral threshold. (Haaretz)

haaretz.com

Joint list is the Arab party union - they most certainly won’t support Netanyahu, but they’re apparently unwilling to sit in a coalition even if Herzog leads it. Insist on staying ‘outsiders’, and opposition at all costs even now, it would seem.
Yesh Atid should be hating Netanyahu with a passion - he personally fired their chairman, then-Finance Minister Yair Lapid - and ran a campaign that was unofficially against him.
Kahlon is the real wildcard at the moment - he’s Likud originally but was essentially forced out of the party, and his party’s ideology is more central-leaning. There’s also the fact that the Likud ran a horrendously dirty campaign against him - the party was found guilty by a court yesterday of running with an edited recording of the man from two years ago, playing it to voters in phone calls where it seemed as though he was supporting Netanyahu at the last minute. He could very much torpedo Netanyahu’s efforts if he wants, but given the difference in the final votes it would be a political first.