There’s jubilation at Labour HQ, where Merav Michaeli has scraped her party off the floor and delivered it safely over the electoral threshold. Chanel 12 predicts Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu will each win one fewer seat, while Meretz and Blue & White will each take one more. Otzma Yehudit, to use its Hebrew name, is the movement of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane’s followers — which, its detractors say, makes it a racist, Jewish supremacist party. Daniel lekgetho: Can I please have a meeting with the minister please. With all broadcasters predicting 59 seats for the opposition bloc, Naftali Bennett’s Yamina becomes a true kingmaker on these figures. With that, the Jewish News’s live coverage of this election draws to a close for now. “We shall do everything to set up a sane government in Israel.”. He insisted that Arab society is misunderstood, and while some are very antagonistic to the PM, others have lots of time for him. Another unexpected outcome of this election: Benny Gantz has become the second Israeli party leader, after Betzalel Smotrich, to sing and dance to his supporters on stage. Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed victory in a series of tweets in which he says the majority of Israelis have demonstrated they are right-wing. I made Aliyah 8.5 years ago and I’ll never take for granted the privilege, I’ll never take my responsibility lightly.”. With a little over three hours to go until the polls close, the party leaders are issuing rallying calls on social media to urge people to the polls. Both parties are angling to lead the Israeli centre-right after Netanyahu. “If he’s proved guilty he’ll get what’s coming to him, but if not, he should be Prime Minister.”, Mavgauker said he decided to vote for Netanyahu because, “for the last 12 years, since he was elected, things have been good here.”, He commented: “I’ve voted for Bibi because he’s the most appropriate candidate and there’s no one better. So much of the noise we’ve heard tonight is based around the excitement generated by the exit polls. Loud music is being blared in the hall where Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to speak, likely to keep Likudniks cheerful as the clock ticks towards 2.15am on a Wednesday morning. Aryeh Deri thanks God for delivering the result. You can only access this submissions system through Tor. We have already seen a few attempts of forgery and attempts to disappear our slips. The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Israeli television is showing pictures of the hall, which is somewhat awkwardly divided between empty seats for dignitaries at the front and a pen of flag-waving supporters towards the rear. In Israel, voters are presented with an array of slips, each bearing a different Hebrew letter that represents a party of list. The Yisrael Beiteinu party leader offers a very short statement. One thing to watch out for in this election will be voter turnout: the number of people casting ballots increased, albeit slightly, in each of the three elections over the last two years. “He has the experience, stamina and qualities of a highly respected statesman and leader,” she said. The following is the address of our secure site where you can anonymously upload your documents to WikiLeaks editors. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been trying to woo Arab voters, but wasn’t this destined to fall flat given his clashes with the sector in the past? Email us: Mike@jewishnews.co.uk with ‘Israel Election 2021’ in the subject line, or get in touch via social media – @JewishNewsUK. In particular, you should try to stick to your normal routine and behaviour. Few believe Bennett’s claims that he won’t sit in a Netanyahu government either. He has established a partnership with Steven Spielberg, working as a cinematographer on his movies since 1993. “Netanyahu is determined to get all our citizens vaccinated and return our lives to normal. She said: “This is my 4th election in 4 years of living here…and if there’s another election later in the year it’ll be 5 in 5! “It’s not connected, one thing to the other,” Gadi Mavgauker, 45, of Yokneam Illit, insisted to me this morning. Andrea Samuels, who moved to Israel from Manchester in late 2016 with her family, cast her ballot on election day. The new leader, its third in as many years, is Merav Michaeli, who has likely done enough to avoid the catastrophic fate of winning no seats at all. In her view Labour leader Merav Michaeli is “finally a politician whom I trust, who has truth at the centre of her political philosophy, and who is not cynical or corrupt, a liar, fraud and on trial.”, She is “a way more decent human being than most of the rest of the pack,” and could represent “a vote for sanity in coalition building.”, She wants to see Michaeli enter the government, build her credentials, and one day lead Israel. Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. She said: “I voted for Yair Lapid, though I’m not sure I have faith in him. The prime minister’s arrival could be imminent. Updated world stock indexes. If the last three elections are anything to go by, we should hear from them tonight in the next couple of hours. Unlike other Jewish media, we do not charge for content. Like other party leaders, he too speaks only in broad terms and says it’s too early to draw conclusions. Before then, we’re expecting the other broadcasters to revise their exit polls. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do. But 61 seats means other things too. Israel’s four main Arab parties represent a diverse spectrum that includes secular voters, Arab nationalists and Islamists, but they discovered in 2015 that they can become one of the biggest electoral forces in the country when they run together. The leader of the Blue & White party, which is comfortably over the electoral threshold, beams wider than he ever did when his party nearly topped the polls in previous elections. Please see British National Party membership and contacts list, 2007-2008 for more information. “Had New Hope not been formed, Netanyahu would have 65 seats, maybe more.”. A crashing finale for a movement that once vowed to end the era of Netanyahu. They must all be in the back, counting their chickens. Lisa Oren is convinced that Yesh Atid offers Israel the chance of “honest, principled, rational and liberal government.”, A Glaswegian who moved to Israel in 1993 and works for a philanthropic foundation, she cast her vote for the centrist party because “it’s time for change and I believe Yair Lapid is the man who can bring it about.”, She added: “Yesh Atid is also passionate about women’s rights protecting children and battered women, and fighting for the rights of the disabled.”, Nicole Monk, British olah and Likud party activist, thinks that the left-wing parties Merez and Labour “have lost all connection to Judaism and pride in Israel” and constitute “the biggest dangers to Israel and family life.”, Soon after casting her vote on Tuesday she said: “I can’t imagine how they would defend Israel in the Hague, or against Iran’s nuclear weapons. Key fingerprint 9EF0 C41A FBA5 64AA 650A 0259 9C6D CD17 283E 454C, If you need help using Tor you can contact WikiLeaks for assistance in setting it up using our simple webchat available at: https://wikileaks.org/talk, If you can use Tor, but need to contact WikiLeaks for other reasons use our secured webchat available at http://wlchatc3pjwpli5r.onion. He said: “This election is critical for us in the left , especially in Meretz where every vote is critical to bring us over the threshold. At least three times in his remarks, Gantz alluded to a fifth election. Yesh Atid owes its survival in no small part to the fact it has not stood alone in an election for six years: since then, it was part of the Blue & White alliance. So so so sad.”. One surprise we may notice is the United Arab List, so far predicted to be below the electoral threshold, to have eeked out enough votes to get into the Knesset. In Israel, the broadcasters do their own exit polls and they can differ wildly from each other — and from the results. We recommend contacting us over Tor if you can. Tor is an encrypted anonymising network that makes it harder to intercept internet communications, or see where communications are coming from or going to.. “Your party, the one you love, will fall victim to its hated opponent/the electoral threshold (delete as appropriate) if you do not vote now.”. In the Negev, despite get-out-the-vote efforts even in unrecognized villages turnout is extremely low, under 15%. Another right-wing movement led by another former Netanyahu ally, Yisrael Beiteinu largely courts immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Sick and tired of all of this madness. Looking to make up for your missed events this summer? (See our Tor tab for more information.) The net outcome is 60 seats for the anti-Netanyahu bloc and 53 seats for Bibiâs supporters. Vicki Gotlieb, originally from London, moved to Israel 31-years ago. We’ll have all three exit polls here so we can all start chewing over the numbers. In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people. Even those who mean well often do not have the experience or expertise to advise properly. That’s a difficult prospect for the anti-Netanyahu bloc because it contains some parties — Yisrael Beiteinu and the Arab Joint List, for example — that would refuse to sit alongside each other in government. He pauses his remarks to dance on stage to what appears to be a club remix of the Shehecheyanu blessing. They all have one thing in common: a tone of desperation. He said it was something he wanted to avoid, but that his party would “stand strong” if it happened. The truth is that a new government led by him is quite a while off yet. Benjamin Netanyahu is in the midst of corruption proceedings, but many of his voters insist this is irrelevant to the election. This from the Jerusalem Post’s Lahov Harkov: Bennett on his kingmaker status: “I will only do what is good for the State of Israel.”, — Lahav Harkov (@LahavHarkov) March 23, 2021. It’s a national holiday and people have flocked to the shops. You can find more details at https://www.couragefound.org. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life. “Labour is back,” she says with a smile. He then started blurring the lines of right-wing Israeli politics. It is worth coming on to the SNPâs approach to the EU, as the party has initiated this debate in the Chamber. The forecast says it could reach 31°C on Tel Aviv’s beaches. Here’s Defence Minister Benny Gantz, whose party Blue & White could fall foul of that 3.25% barrier, being uncharacteristically impassioned on Twitter. סמוטריץ׳ יהיה לדעתי הפתעת הבחירות. A new entrant on Israel’s political scene, this party by disgruntled former Likud star Gideon Saar and his associates was founded barely three months ago. She is choosing Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party instead. The once-mighty party that founded Israel is now a minnow. Support your Jewish News. It turns out things are a little more serious than that: journalist Noga Tarnopolsky reports that voter turnout is extremely low in the Negev desert communities because of dense sand in the air. The other two broadcasters — Channel 11 and Channel 13 — have aligned themselves with the broad strokes of Channel 12’s update. When you upgrade to Crunchbase Pro, you can access unlimited search results, save to custom lists or to Salesforce, and get notified when ⦠That’s lower than the 42.8% who had voted by this time in April 2019. “I am a right-winger,” he says and proceeds to deliver a carefully calibrated, right-wing message. Israel’s election authorities keep a track of voter turnout throughout the day and the figures so far suggest the country is on track for its lowest level of voter interest in over a decade. He is a leader with great vision, advancing the safety and security of us all, and standing up to Israel in both the hostile United Nations and in the White House. Tor. UK Jewish Film Festival available in your home tonight! He repeats his commitment not to join a Netanyahu-led government. This was the scene this morning at a drive-in polling station in Jerusalem, where voters who have tested positive for COVID-19 were taken by taxi to ensure they still could vote. Watch below. Michael Dickson, Executive Director of pro-Israel group StandWithUs, moved to Israel 15 years ago from London. He calls on the leaders of Israel’s other right-wing parties to join them: he namechecks Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Litzman of United Torah Judaism, Bezalal Smotrich of the Religious Zionist faction and Naftali Bennett. Monk, a 54-year-old Netanya-based teacher, presented Netanyahu and his wife Sara with flowers at a party rally last year, and speaks of the PM in glowing terms. UAL’s arrival into the game would upend many calculations. • We have had careful, non-committal statements from Yair Lapid and Avigdor Lieberman, • Gideon Saar, who broke away from Likud before the election but appears set for a disappointing night, has repeated his commitment not to join a Netanyahu government, • Labour’s Merav Michaeli hailed her party’s rival after it appeared comfortably over the electoral threshold, • Turnout is markedly down on previous election. That could upset the balance in the chamber quite significantly. I reckon that’s a record! The net outcome is. The benefits and drawbacks of voter turnout, Brit in Israel: ‘Bibi is way past his sell-by-date’, Brit in Israel: ‘This day is important for the rest of our history’, Brit in Israel: ‘My fourth election in four years since making Aliyah’, Brit in Israel: ‘Sick and tired of all of this madness!’, Brit in Israel: ‘An honour, privilege, blessing and onerous responsibility’, Brit in Israel: ‘Election Day is always a great atmosphere!’, Runners and Riders: Netanyahu, Saar, Deri, Bennett, Lieberman, Runners and Riders: Yair Lapid, Michaeli, Horowitz, Gantz, Runners and Riders: Aymen Odeh and Mansour Abbas, Runners and Riders: Moshe Gavni and Bezalel Smotrich, Voter turnout at lowest level this decade, What voters say: ‘I voted for Bibi because there’s no-one better’, What voters say: ‘Time to freshen things up. • Speaking this evening, Naftali Bennett did not commit himself to either side and remains a possible kingmaker with the potential to pick either side. Benjamin Netanyahu’s fate lies, to a large extent, in the hands of people who have voted for him in the past and are feeling let down. The Government must provide a safety net. Millions of vaccines were brought to Israel by his own determination and obsession. No visible movement on his anti-Netanyahu position, then, but then again Lieberman has long been one of the more cryptic of the party leaders. If you are a high-risk source, avoid saying anything or doing anything after submitting which might promote suspicion. Together with the strictly-Orthodox parties and perhaps a small number of far-right MKs, it will most likely lead the largest bloc in the next Knesset. For the fourth time in two years, it’s my dubious pleasure to say: welcome to our live coverage of the Israeli general election. If you have any issues talk to WikiLeaks. I don’t know if I’ll end up voting.”. For the 2013 election he placed a secular woman, Ayelet Shaked, high on the list of this party that had always been dominated by kippah-wearing men. Naftali Bennett is painting a cautious picture, not willing to commit himself to either side of the Netanyahu divide. הענקתם ניצחון ענק לימין ולליכוד בהנהגתי. Election Day is always a great atmosphere – and pretty unique, the only public holiday with no religious symbolism at all. • Exit polls are shifting slighty, but still suggest both main blocs in Israel have a route to forming the next government of Israel, • The anti-Netanyahu bloc appears closer to a 61-seat majority, albeit narrowly, • The strictly-Orthodox and far-right parties supporting the prime minister appear not to have done well enough to deliver him a majority. This list holds details on members as well as contact information for other individuals, the latter being held for unknown and in some cases dubious reasons in the database of the BNP. In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding. Photo by: JINIPIX, Gadi Mavgauker, 45, of Yokneam Illit (Photo: Nathan Jeffay), Campaign posters for Ben Gvir, third-placed candidate for the Religious Zionist party (Photo: Nathan Jeffay), Queues outside the shops on Israelis’ day off, Turnout at this election as of 6pm Israeli time was much lower than the previous four elections, Nicole Monk presenting flowers to the Netanyahus last year, Hamudi Amash voted for Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Nathan Jeffay), Support your Jewish community. It seems likely to win seats for the first time. There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride. If you do this and are a high-risk source you should make sure there are no traces of the clean-up, since such traces themselves may draw suspicion. If you cannot use Tor, or your submission is very large, or you have specific requirements, WikiLeaks provides several alternative methods. הפייק ניוז המלוכלך של יש עתיד מסכן את עתיד המחנה – חייבים להצביע ״כן״! 61 is the number of seats required for a Knesset majority, and the bulk of our coverage is geared towards whether Israel can form a government. אזרחי ישראל – תודה! He’s just arrived at his election party. Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. They must step in and help leaseholders. Note that he hasn’t claimed outright victory. But a long, uphill struggle awaits. In the last election, she cast her vote for Joint List, the mainly Arab party, but opted for Labour this time, as if there is a non-Bibi government, she wants it to have a left-wing contingency, which she thinks is best achieved with a strong Labour. He rose to fame in the 1990s with his work on Schindler's List (1993). That’s why we’ve heard from a smattering of small parties — for them, the exit polls have offered the comfort of having crossed the 3.25% election threshold — but not yet from the top two leaders: Benjamin Netanyahu and Yair Lapid. We’ll stick around for the exit polls too — watch out for those just after 8pm UK time — and into the night until we have a reasonable picture of what the people have decided. For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain. Subscribe to Izzy – the Israeli Netflix – for less than £5 a month! Hamudi Amash, a 26-year-old Jisr az-Zarqa, said he is voting for Netanyahu’s Likud. Israeli politics features an array of parties and alliances that change at every election that can be bewildering for more casual observers/. The polls will close in one hour, at which point Israel’s main broadcasters will put out their exit polls. Each party is represented by Hebrew letters. There’s also the small detail of his previous coalition agreement with Benjamin Netanyahu, which is still in force and would theoretically result in Gantz assuming the role of prime minister in November under the rotation agreement. The Courage Foundation is an international organisation dedicated to the protection of journalistic sources. Help to continue putting our community first in everything we do not charge for content you should try stick... Actual votes have been counted so far, he says he will defend communities in the vaccine and! Around the same cabinet table before long % who had voted a brave on. 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