Israeli General Election (2nd of March, 2020): Madness

[DavidB.]

Anyway, I'm done. I'm done defending Israel in this forum and generally. We're a deeply corrupt country and I have no business in this moral monstrosity. Bye.

I’ve said for a long time, Israel is much closer to the Arab world than a lot of us think. This kind of sectarianism is expected from a multitude of African, Asian, South American, and Arab countries. Israel was supposed to be better than this.

No, it wasn't. It was supposed to be a safe haven in which the Jewish people could live and thrive in safety and in freedom, and that's exactly what it has become - and most resentment against Israel stems from the fact that it is so successful at this.

[Oryxslayer]

[BP🌹]

Schrodinger's Israel: simultaneously a dangerous place whose beleaguered inhabitants are traumatized by terrorism, and also an important sanctuary for Jews that must be preserved at all costs.

[Walmart_shopper]

Anyway, I'm done. I'm done defending Israel in this forum and generally. We're a deeply corrupt country and I have no business in this moral monstrosity. Bye.

I’ve said for a long time, Israel is much closer to the Arab world than a lot of us think. This kind of sectarianism is expected from a multitude of African, Asian, South American, and Arab countries. Israel was supposed to be better than this.

No, it wasn't. It was supposed to be a safe haven in which the Jewish people could live and thrive in safety and in freedom, and that's exactly what it has become - and most resentment against Israel stems from the fact that it is so successful at this.

Nope. Read Herzl or Ben Gurion or Meir or even Jabotinsky. Israel was created to be a secular, Jewish bastion of enlightenment and democracy. I'm not even much of a Zionist but I can recognize that your revionist Zionism isn't Zionism at all.

[Walmart_shopper]

Schrodinger's Israel: simultaneously a dangerous place whose beleaguered inhabitants are traumatized by terrorism, and also an important sanctuary for Jews that must be preserved at all costs.

This. So much this.

[Walmart_shopper]

"They hate us because they want to be us" is what pre-pubescent kids tell themselves to feel better when they don't get picked for kickball. The fact that Israel makes this the gist of their foreign policy framework only helps illustrate how destabilizing and backwards the country really is.

[DavidB.]

The main thing that I would consider to be "destabilizing and backwards" has been the attitude of the Palestinian leadership - which is why even its Arab allies have abandoned it. Meanwhile, the country you, as an anti-Zionist Palestinian, want destroyed, is stronger than ever; and today, it has probably elected a government that will make it even stronger

[Walmart_shopper]

Channel 13 updated their exit poll. Likud now leads by 3 mandates (instead of 5) over KL and has only 59 mandates in the bloc. The Joint List still only at 14.

[Mike88]

Channel 13 updated their exit poll. Likud now leads by 3 mandates (instead of 5) over KL and has only 59 mandates in the bloc. The Joint List still only at 14.

Updated exit poll:

37 Likud
34 KL
14 JL
  9 Shas
  7 UTJ
  7 Labour/Gesher/Meretz
  7 Yamina
  6 YB

[Walmart_shopper]

The main thing that I would consider to be "destabilizing and backwards" has been the attitude of the Palestinian leadership - which is why even its Arab allies have abandoned it. Meanwhile, the country you, as an anti-Zionist Palestinian, want destroyed, is stronger than ever; and today, it has probably elected a government that will make it even stronger

I am neither a Palestinian nor an admirer of Palestinian leadership, which I actually find morally disgraceful. I never understood the weird Bibi-ist two step of insisting that Israel is a smashing success by comparing it to third world dumpster fires like Syria or Ramallah. Israel was created to be a just, free, fair society based on democratic principle. I measure it against that standard and not whatever they are doing in Yemen or Nablus. That I love Israel enough to believe it can be better is a far more daring patriotism than "Ehhh, at least we aren't like the Arabs."

[Continential]

The main thing that I would consider to be "destabilizing and backwards" has been the attitude of the Palestinian leadership - which is why even its Arab allies have abandoned it. Meanwhile, the country you, as an anti-Zionist Palestinian, want destroyed, is stronger than ever; and today, it has probably elected a government that will make it even stronger

You do realize that Likud's been in power for a while.

[Oryxslayer]

The two Ballot boxes submitted so far from Jerusalem were both from the Arab quarter, so we get this weird, albeit temporary, sight of Jerusalem voting for the joint list.

[Continential]

The two Ballot boxes submitted so far from Jerusalem were both from the Arab quarter, so we get this weird, albeit temporary, sight of Jerusalem voting for the joint list.

Imagine if someone waking up in the morning sees that on their phone, and they were a settler.

[Walmart_shopper]

The right is now down to 59 seats in all exit polls. The Joint List is up to 15 in all of them.

The irony of Umm al Fahm doing more to save Israeli democracy than the hipsters in Tel Aviv must surely nit be lost on KL leadership (and everyone else in the apparent non-Bibi majority).

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

The main thing that I would consider to be "destabilizing and backwards" has been the attitude of the Palestinian leadership - which is why even its Arab allies have abandoned it. Meanwhile, the country you, as an anti-Zionist Palestinian, want destroyed, is stronger than ever; and today, it has probably elected a government that will make it even stronger

You do realize that Likud's been in power for a while.

David's drunk the Fashintern Kool-Aid so the more frothingly racist a government in a non-Muslim country is the better as far as he's concerned. And the right-religious bloc in Israel is nothing if not more frothingly racist now than when Bibi first came to power.

[Walmart_shopper]

The two Ballot boxes submitted so far from Jerusalem were both from the Arab quarter, so we get this weird, albeit temporary, sight of Jerusalem voting for the joint list.

Imagine if someone waking up in the morning sees that on their phone, and they were a settler.

Soon.

[BP🌹]

I'm grateful for people like DavidB because they're brutally honest about Zionism's true nature, and help observers see it for what it really is. It's also why I want Bibi to remain PM.

[Mike88]

More votes in: (1.91% counted)

32.3% Likud
24.6% KL
  9.1% Shas
  7.3% UTJ
  7.0% Yamina
  7.0% YB
  5.9% Labour/Gesher/Meretz
  5.9% JL

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I'm grateful for people like DavidB because they're brutally honest about Zionism's true nature, and help observers see it for what it really is. It's also why I want Bibi to remain PM.

This is accelerationist BS and just as blinkered by your pet hates as David's posts are by his. And you, unlike him, are better than that.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

No fighting in the War Room, gentlemen.

[Walmart_shopper]

Seriously, though, what does happen if Bibi only gets 59 seats?

[Mike88]

Seriously, though, what does happen if Bibi only gets 59 seats?

4th elections in September?

I don't understand almost a single word in Hebrew, but in the live feed from Kan 11, I hear, over and over again, the word "September".

[Walmart_shopper]

Zvi Hauser says he prefers a fourth election to Netanyahu as PM.

I literally cannot imagine the chaos and stress of a fourth election. But if Gantz had 59 seats OF COURSE the Likud would be angling for a fourth campaign.

[Walmart_shopper]

Seriously, though, what does happen if Bibi only gets 59 seats?

4th elections in September?

I don't understand almost a single word in Hebrew, but in the live feed from Kan 11, I hear, over and over again, the word "September".

Probably a comparison with the elections last September.

But the election commission has already scheduled a fourth election in early September 2020 (if needed). With only 59 seats for Bibi that may indeed be the most likely outcome.

[Oryxslayer]

Seriously, though, what does happen if Bibi only gets 59 seats?

4th elections in September?

I don't understand almost a single word in Hebrew, but in the live feed from Kan 11, I hear, over and over again, the word "September".

As someone who does understand hebrew, they are talking about LAST September's election.  Now fourth election may happen, but there seems to be a feeling in the air that 'this is it' as far as elections go. Bibi coming so close, and the lasck of funds/votes for a few parties have chastened everyone. Lieb was quite frank when he gave his address. Either someone breaks ranks or Leib picks a side.