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Exit polls showed Kadima winning between 29 and 32 seats, but results based on a count of nearly three-quarters of the polling stations show Kadima winning only 28 seats. Labor, too, has dropped to 20 seats, while the National Union/NRP have 8 and Shas has 13.
The original post-election forecasts gave the Likud between 10-12 seats, and Labor 19-22. Yisrael Beiteinu was to receive 12-15 seats, followed by Shas with 10-11. The National Union/NRP was estimated to have received 7-9 seats, fewer than what party supporters expected, while United Torah Judaism was foreseen to receive 5-8. The Pensioners - the surprise of the election - were predicted to receive from 6-8 seats, while Meretz was universally given 5 and the Arabs - between 6 and 10.
Pundits and Politicians Respond
If Kadima receives 31 seats or fewer, it will be the 2nd-smallest party ever to head a government in Israel - boding ill for the stability of the coalition. The only smaller party to head a government was One Israel, headed by Ehud Barak. Barak was forced to resign in Dec. 2000 and call new elections after only 18 months in office.
Rafi Eitan, head of the Pensioners Party, expressed great joy at his party's success. A former Israeli intelligence officer, and the recruiter and handler of imprisoned spy Jonathan Pollard, he said last month that if elected to the Knesset, he would work for Pollard's release.
Pollard, however, blames Eitan for his expulsion from the Israeli Embassy, into the hands of US authorities. "I think it is important that people understand that [Eitan] was the one who failed to provide an escape plan for me," Pollard said. "He was the one who was at the heart of my expulsion from the embassy, I believe."
Asked to present his views on the diplomatic situation or on which government he would prefer to sit in, Eitan simply said, "Any leader is acceptable to us, as long as he accepts our demands. We will study the situation and present our positions."
The right-wing bloc, according to the preliminary exit polls, receives only some 50-52 seats. If the Likud in fact receives as few as is foreseen, Silvan Shalom is expected to demand the unseating of Binyamin Netanyahu as party leader. MK Moshe Kachlon, #3 on the list, said, "I would advise you to wait for the genuine results. We have lost much of our strength, but I am sure that the true numbers will not be the ones we see now. If we have to sit in the opposition, we will do so proudly."
The Likud MKs whose places in the Knesset are endangered, according to the exit polls, are Natan Sharansky (#11 on the list), Yisrael Katz (12), Chaim Katz (13), Uzi Landau (14), Yuli Edelstein (15), and others.
The Likud, assuming that it will have no genuine role in the next government, is already working on whose fault the failure is. It is widely assumed that Netanyahu will be deposed.
As predicted by the surveys of the past few months, the anti-religious Shinui party will not be present in the upcoming 17th Knesset. A statement from the party expressed its disappointment but promised, “Shinui was established 30 years ago and will continue to exist for at least 30 more years."
Arutz Sheva's IsraelNationalRadio.com launched its live election coverage from 10 PM (3 PM Easten Standard Time) as the exit polls are publicized. Show hosts will provide up-to-the-minute election results along with analysis and interviews.
Click here for the live broadcast
Shows will allot time for call-ins from the listeners and Israel National Radio’s Virtual Studio will be operational, allowing listeners around the world to respond in real time to the events. They can discuss what they mean for Israel’s future and participate in ongoing discussions by radio hosts.
Israel National Radio’s election coverage schedule is as follows:
Israel (EST)
10PM (3PM) Tamar Yonah and Malkah Fleisher
Midnight (5PM) Avi Hyman
2AM (7PM) Yishai Fleisher and Alex Traiman
5AM (10PM) Tovia Singer
Exit polls showed Kadima winning between 29 and 32 seats, but results based on a count of nearly three-quarters of the polling stations show Kadima winning only 28 seats. Labor, too, has dropped to 20 seats, while the National Union/NRP have 8 and Shas has 13.
The original post-election forecasts gave the Likud between 10-12 seats, and Labor 19-22. Yisrael Beiteinu was to receive 12-15 seats, followed by Shas with 10-11. The National Union/NRP was estimated to have received 7-9 seats, fewer than what party supporters expected, while United Torah Judaism was foreseen to receive 5-8. The Pensioners - the surprise of the election - were predicted to receive from 6-8 seats, while Meretz was universally given 5 and the Arabs - between 6 and 10.
Pundits and Politicians Respond
If Kadima receives 31 seats or fewer, it will be the 2nd-smallest party ever to head a government in Israel - boding ill for the stability of the coalition. The only smaller party to head a government was One Israel, headed by Ehud Barak. Barak was forced to resign in Dec. 2000 and call new elections after only 18 months in office.
Rafi Eitan, head of the Pensioners Party, expressed great joy at his party's success. A former Israeli intelligence officer, and the recruiter and handler of imprisoned spy Jonathan Pollard, he said last month that if elected to the Knesset, he would work for Pollard's release.
Pollard, however, blames Eitan for his expulsion from the Israeli Embassy, into the hands of US authorities. "I think it is important that people understand that [Eitan] was the one who failed to provide an escape plan for me," Pollard said. "He was the one who was at the heart of my expulsion from the embassy, I believe."
Asked to present his views on the diplomatic situation or on which government he would prefer to sit in, Eitan simply said, "Any leader is acceptable to us, as long as he accepts our demands. We will study the situation and present our positions."
The right-wing bloc, according to the preliminary exit polls, receives only some 50-52 seats. If the Likud in fact receives as few as is foreseen, Silvan Shalom is expected to demand the unseating of Binyamin Netanyahu as party leader. MK Moshe Kachlon, #3 on the list, said, "I would advise you to wait for the genuine results. We have lost much of our strength, but I am sure that the true numbers will not be the ones we see now. If we have to sit in the opposition, we will do so proudly."
The Likud MKs whose places in the Knesset are endangered, according to the exit polls, are Natan Sharansky (#11 on the list), Yisrael Katz (12), Chaim Katz (13), Uzi Landau (14), Yuli Edelstein (15), and others.
The Likud, assuming that it will have no genuine role in the next government, is already working on whose fault the failure is. It is widely assumed that Netanyahu will be deposed.
As predicted by the surveys of the past few months, the anti-religious Shinui party will not be present in the upcoming 17th Knesset. A statement from the party expressed its disappointment but promised, “Shinui was established 30 years ago and will continue to exist for at least 30 more years."
Arutz Sheva's IsraelNationalRadio.com launched its live election coverage from 10 PM (3 PM Easten Standard Time) as the exit polls are publicized. Show hosts will provide up-to-the-minute election results along with analysis and interviews.
Click here for the live broadcast
Shows will allot time for call-ins from the listeners and Israel National Radio’s Virtual Studio will be operational, allowing listeners around the world to respond in real time to the events. They can discuss what they mean for Israel’s future and participate in ongoing discussions by radio hosts.
Israel National Radio’s election coverage schedule is as follows:
Israel (EST)
10PM (3PM) Tamar Yonah and Malkah Fleisher
Midnight (5PM) Avi Hyman
2AM (7PM) Yishai Fleisher and Alex Traiman
5AM (10PM) Tovia Singer