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This is a huge blow for Kadima. This means that Kadima and Labor only have 48 seats between them, that may actually be less than they had in the current parliament (though I'll have to check). On the right, Likud, Israel Beitenu, Shas, and NRP/NU collectively come to approximately the same number of seats, and if you include United Torah Judaism, they have significantly more seats.
This is really disasterous for Labor as well. Peretz was supposed to bring in 28 seats when he first became Labor chairman.. and even that was a figure that never would have been acceptable for Labor in the past. And yet he only got 20 seats! Even less than in the last election, which was considered a disaster for labor.
Didn't some of the smaller right wing parties gain a significant number of seats, if I'm recalling the # they had previously? If so, it's not the disaster for the right that they're making it out to be.
I'm guessing there won't be nearly as many kadima voters the next time around.
"MK Danny Yatom (Labor) said that the results are a "great blow to Kadima, and bring great joy to Labor.""
This would make me laugh if it didn't make me gag first. What spin this is... that 20 seats out of 120 is a "great joy to Labor", the party that used to dominate Israeli politics, not to mention the hopes that this time they would get massive support from the sephardim and working class. Didn't happen... back to the drawing board boys... I think Peretz's days are numbered.
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.According to the Bloomberg article on the election, Kadima regards Pensioners as a natural ally and potential coalition partner. There are a couple of very small parties which have newly won seats. Dunno offhand how many Kadima will need, but it looks like it's Olmert's party now. :') Meanwhile, Bibi blames Ariel Sharon -- still in a coma -- for Likud's poor showing, but that's right in character for Bibi.
Most of us had already realized that Israeli voters would rapidly grow disenchanted with Kadima, and that this new party-with absolutely no firm convictions or principles-would eke out any election victory.
So, Binyimin Netanyahu is a putz, who is a failed political leader.
None of this comes as a surprise, to be perfectly honest.
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