Israeli Prime Minister, leader of the right-wing forces Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed victory in the parliamentary elections and thanked the citizens for a third term in office. He summed up as his main task combating the Iranian nuclear threat. According to exit polls conducted by central TV channels, the bloc of the current prime minister, formed on an alliance of "Likud" and "Israel is Our Home" parties, gets 31 seats out of 120 in parliament. This is 11 less than the allies drummed up in the previous Knesset. However, Netanyahu will now be set to head the largest parliamentary faction, rather than the second-largest, as it was four years. Netanyahu-Lieberman bloc gets over a quarter of seats in parliament.The exit polls point to
Our political commentator reports from Israel especially for the Voice of Russia.
a dramatically weakened position of the ruling party "Likud” that joined forces on the eve of elections with Avigdor Lieberman's "Israel is Our Home" movement. In forging that alliance Lieberman lost many Russian-speaking voters who prefer to cast vote for a party of "their own". The ruling party also lost a lot of votes in favor of the revised right-wing religious movement "Jewish Home”. For many Israelis, Netanyahu’s policy lacks in resolution and firmness. Many want to clearly hear him say an emphatic "no" to U.S. President Obama. They also voted for the far- right radical party "Power for Israel," which is teetering on the 
percentage threshold and the fate of which will be decided by the military vote. The success of the newly minted party "Yesh Atid" (“There is a Future”) led by TV anchorman Yair Lapid suggests that postmodernism has set down roots even in Israel. The strengthened positions of the religious bloc deserve particular mention. Orthodox parties receive a quarter of seats in the Knesset. – something that has not happened since the emergence of Israel. Arab parties made little showing this time, gaining just 9 seats. This also reflects the overall demographic trend in Israel: the Arab birth rate is falling, while the Jewish - is on the upsurge. Exit polls: Netanyahu, hard-line allies win narrow majority in Israeli election: The alliance of 
percentage threshold and the fate of which will be decided by the military vote. The success of the newly minted party "Yesh Atid" (“There is a Future”) led by TV anchorman Yair Lapid suggests that postmodernism has set down roots even in Israel. The strengthened positions of the religious bloc deserve particular mention. Orthodox parties receive a quarter of seats in the Knesset. – something that has not happened since the emergence of Israel. Arab parties made little showing this time, gaining just 9 seats. This also reflects the overall demographic trend in Israel: the Arab birth rate is falling, while the Jewish - is on the upsurge. Exit polls: Netanyahu, hard-line allies win narrow majority in Israeli election: The alliance of
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightist Likud-Beitenu party came out on top in Israel's election on Tuesday, exit polls said, but centre-left parties made surprising gains, potentially complicating coalition building.
parties "Likud" and "Israel is Our Home" gets 31 seats in the 120-seat Parliament. A surprising result was shown by the new centrist party "Yesh Atid" led by TV personality Yair Lapid. It is expected to come in second with 18 seats. In third place is the “Avoda” party led by Shelly Yachimovich with 17 seats, followed by the religious party Shas (13 seats) and the right-wing party "Jewish Home". The projections showed right-wing parties with a combined strength of 61-62 seats against 58-59 for the centre-left. However, experience of elections in Israel shows that after ballot counting of the military, the right-wing alliance will most likely garner another couple of seats. Thus, Prime Minister Netanyahu will be able to form a government with his coalition allies, which will be joined immediately or eventually by the centrists. Voice of Russia, RIA, Reuters, TASS, Israelis are actively voting at parliamentary elections: According to observers, 
The Israeli citizens are voting more actively in the parliamentary elections than in 2009, the Voice of Russia correspondent reported. According to reports, by 4 pm local time, 47 percent of voters have cast their vote.
the coalition of Likud and Israel is Our Home party led by incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will win in the early elections. Despite economic recession and growing budget deficit, voters extend their support to Netanyahu. Experts forecast that in the case of his victory, religious parties and supporters of tough policy will be the nucleus of the coalition government. High turnout in Israeli election;
Israeli voters went to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new parliament.By noon local time, 226.7% of the 5.6 million eligible voters had cast their ballots - the highest turnout since 1999. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who tops the list of the Likud-Beitenu rightwing political bloc, voted at a polling station in Jerusalem.
Likud-Beitenu may receive at least one-quarter of seats in the Knesset and its widely predicted coalition with other rightwing parties and the ultra-right may give it a parliamentary majority, which means that Netanyahu may retain premiership. Almost 40% of Israelis come to polling stations and vote: 
38.3% of eligible Israeli voters have made their choice and cast their ballots by the moment, a report from Israel has told.
Meanwhile Benjamin Netanyahu has addressed his supporters and called on them to come to the polling stations and vote. “Reports are showing that voter turnout is lower than average in areas that traditionally support Likud. Likud voters of all ages – drop everything and go vote,” he said. While voting continues in Israel, Tel Aviv police reports of 65 incidents: One of the complaints was from a person who said he went to 
By 12:00 Tel Aviv time local police have reported of 65 complaints of voter fraud or irregularities.
vote only to discover that someone had already voted for him. Today’s parliamentary elections were announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in October 2012 after the parliament had failed to agree the annual budget. If not for that, the vote would not have occurred until October 2013. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been holding his post since 2009. His coalition is described as one of the most stable in the history of Israel. “A strong prime minister, a strong Israel” was the slogan for the election campaign of Netanyahu-led coalition. National security and how to deal with the Palestinians were the campaign’s main issues. Meanwhile, for the first time in years polls have showed that most Israelis are concerned not only about security issues, but about social and economic problems as well. A recent report by Israel's National Insurance Institute discovered that nearly one in four Israelis live in poverty. The Israeli Labour Party has taken up these issues in a bid to drag more voters on its side. Voice of Russia, Interfax, The Jerusalem Post, BBC, The Haaretz, Who will win parliamentary elections in Israel? The cabinet of 
Evgeny Erlih
On Tuesday, parliamentary elections are underway in Israel. In Israel, as a rule, the leader of the party that wins at parliamentary elections becomes the Prime Minister, so, parliamentary elections usually become a very significant event of the country’s political life.
ministers is formed through coalition agreements between MPs. The government is practically totally subdued to the parliament. At present, 32 parties are competing for 120 seats in the parliament. However, most likely, only about 10 of them will get the necessary percentage of votes to get any seats. And, it can be said already now with a large amount of certainty what party will most likely win many seats and what only few. Analysts say that the incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also the leader of the ”Likud” party, has very good chances to occupy the Prime Minister’s post for the third time. Until now, there was only one person in the entire history of Israel who has been the country’s Prime Minister three times – the founder of the Israeli state David Ben-Gurion. “Likud” has come to the current parliamentary elections in a tandem with another right-wing party, called “Israel is our Home,” the leader of which is Avigdor Lieberman. The right wing of Israeli politicians has obviously united against the left one. The current situation in and around Israel is very unstable. In quite a few Arab countries, as a result of the so-called “Arab spring”, Islamists have come to power, who are hardly very friendly towards Israel. The nearby Iran is suspected of creating, if not already producing, a nuclear bomb, and some Israeli politicians do not rule out a war between their country and Iran. In Israel itself, the movement for Palestine’s sovereignty HAMAS seems to be ready to start a war against the Israeli authorities any moment. However, even in such a situation, Benyamin Netanyahu feels very confident of himself. Moreover, he believes that no other leader than he would be able to resist all these challenges and keep Israel strong. Here is what he says: “I don’t know what the results of these elections will be, but I daresay that if representatives of my party and I win the majority of seats, this would be very favorable for Israel. We want Israel to be strong and prosperous – and we know how to run the country.” However, Mr. Netanyahu is probably overestimating his chances a little. 3 months ago, results of multiple polls showed that the Netanyahu-Lieberman alliance was likely to win about 42 seats in the parliament. But more recent polls show that now, the alliance is likely to win no more than 30 seats. The reason of this decline of popularity was the mildness that Israel’s authorities showed towards Palestinian separatists in a recent operation againts them, known as “The Cloud Pillar” operation. However, even 30 seats in the parliament would be enough for the alliance to call it a victory. Those Israelis who are now dissatisfied with Mr. Netanyahu for his mildness towards Palestinians have already made another politician their idol – the young and energetic Major Naftali Bennett, the head of the “Jewish House” party. Mr. Bennet is not going to be as mild towards Palestinian separatists as Mr. Netanyahu. “If someone thinks that we may find a compromise with Arabs, I would advise him or her to recollect what recently happened in the Gaza Strip, in Egypt and in Libya,” Naftali Bennett says. “I daresay that I am more realistic than those who think that we may find a compromise with Palestinians. The “Cloud Pillar” operation, in fact, ended with a “draw” – and I believe that this was a disgrace for Israel. I promise that if I become Prime Minister, things like that would not repeat.” The left wing of Israel’s political forces is represented by 3 parties, all led by women – “MERETZ”, led by Zahava Gal-On, “Hatnua”, led by Tzipi Livni, and “HaAvoda”, led by Shelly Yachimovich. Tzipi Livni was very popular in Israel several years ago, when she was the leader of the opposition party “Kadima”. Now, she has already lost much of her popularity. Shelly Yachimovich and her Labor Party, also known as “HaAvoda”, are, on the opposite, very popular, mainly among the Israeli intelligentsia with leftist sentiments. According to polls, out of all the parties that are now competing for seats in parliament, from the point of view of popularity, “HaAvoda” is on the second place after the currently ruling “Likud”. This item was written by Evgeny Erlih, a correspondent of the Voice of Russia in Israel. Over 25% of Israelis have cast their votes already, There are approximately 
Some 26.7% of eligible Israeli voters have already cast their ballot, as compared to 21.6% at this time of day in 2006, Israeli mass media has just reported.
10,000 polling stations working now across the country. Some of them are located in hospitals and prisons. Polling stations will be working until 10 p.m., in small towns and hospitals until 8 p.m.According to the media outlet, for the first time Israelis will be able to follow the counting of ballots in real time on a government website.The official results are expected to be announced by the Central Elections Committee on Wednesday. Netanyahu hopes to get majority in Knesset: “Likud-Beyteinu represents all 
Prime Minister of Israel Binyamin Netanyahu, accompanied by his wife and two sons, has reportedly arrived at a polling station in Jerusalem early in the morning Tuesday to cast his ballot. Despite polls maintain that Netanyahu's Likud-Beitenu alliance may count on fewer parliamentary seats, Israeli Prime Minister has been confident of the alliance’s victory.
the people. The bigger Likud-Beyteinu is, the easier it will be to lead Israel successfully,” says the Israeli top politician, as he was leaving the polling station. The Likud-Beiteinu alliance – a merger between the parties of Netanyahu and the former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman – is likely to get not more than 35, a drop from the current 42 seats, of the 120 seats in the Israeli parliament, says a poll released on January 18. The drop in seats is explained by the popularity of the extreme right Jewish Home led by former commando and startup millionaire Naftali Bennett. The Jewish Home is expected to have up to 13 seats in the Knesset. Another rival to the Likud-Beiteinu alliance is presented by the Istaeli Labour Party which is predicted to get 16 or 17 seats. Israel votes: Netanyahu’s Likud leads, polls say: Some 5.66 million
Israel is voting today. 120 seats of the Knesset, the country’s unicameral legislative body, will be eventually distributed between 32 political parties and groups on a proportional basis, provided they receive at least 2 percent of the vote. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party is the main favorite, polls say.
Israelis, 18 years old and older, are eligible to vote. Polling stations will stay open from 7 a.m. (in small towns – from 8 a.m.) until 10 p.m. The results are expected to be announced by Wednesday. Recent polls predict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party would take the most seats, thus ushering in his third term in office. If Netanyahu stays in power, the Jewish State is expected to lean further to the right, “away from peace with Palestinians and towards a showdown with Iran”, Reuters news agency notes. January 22 is a non-working day in the country. Israel goes to snap parliamentary polls: A snap 
Snap parliamentary elections have kicked off in Israel, Voice of Russia’s correspondent in Israel Yevgeny Erlikh reports. The prizes on stake are 120 seats in the Jewish parliament which will be distributed among 32 parties.
parliamentary election has got under way in Israel, with 32 parties and election alliances running for the 120 seats in the Knesset, but no more than 15 of them stand an actual chance of polling enough votes to pass the electoral barrier. More than 10,000 polling stations have opened throughout Israel for the over 5.5 million voters to cast their ballots. The incumbent Prime Minister and the leader of the Likud Party, Benjamin Netanyahu is said to have a fair chance to make a comeback as the head of the country’s government and repeat the record of Israel’s founder David Ben-Gurion. This time, Likud is running in coalition with Avigdor Lieberman’s right-wing party, “Israel Is Our Home.” Those close to the prime minister say Israel has tough times ahead, with Islamist radicals coming to force across the region on the wave of the Arab Spring. Israelis vote in elections seen swinging to the right: The ballot to choose Israel's 
Israelis vote Tuesday in a general election expected to return Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to power at the head of a government of hardline right-wing and religious parties.
19th parliament is likely to usher in a government that will swing further to the right, undermining the chances of a peace deal with the Palestinians and raising the prospect of greater diplomatic isolation for the Jewish state. Those elected will face key diplomatic and foreign policy questions, including Iran's nuclear programme, which much of the world believes is a cover for a weapons drive, and pressure to revive peace talks with the Palestinians. No less pressing are the domestic challenges, including a major budget crisis and looming austerity cuts, which are likely to exacerbate already widespread discontent over spiralling prices. Opinion polls have consistently shown that Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party, running on a joint list with the hardline secular nationalist Yisrael Beitenu, is well ahead of its rivals. But as the day of reckoning neared, the numbers showed falling support for Likud-Beitenu, which is now seen taking 32 seats - 10 fewer than it currently holds - although the centre-left Labour party, its closest contender, is following a distant second with 17. Final polls late last week had showed the right-wing-religious bloc taking between 61 and 67 seats, compared with 53 to 57 for the centre-left and Arab parties. Voice of Russia, The Guardian, The Haaretz, IsraelNationalNews, Newsru.com, Reuters, AFP, Source: Voice of Russia
