“Israeli” Elections: Neither Likud nor Blue and White has Majority

By Staff, Agencies 

An “Israeli” television poll aired Friday indicated that the ruling Likud party and opposition Blue and White are neck-and-neck ahead of upcoming elections, with neither having a clear path to form a government without Avigdor Liberman’s “Yisrael Beytenu” party.

According to Channel 12 news, Netanyahu’s Likud would win 30 seats if elections were held, as would former “Israeli” chief of staff Benny Gantz’s Blue and White. Both parties received 35 seats in the April 9 elections.

“Yisrael Beytenu” was forecast to win 10 seats, doubling the party’s current total.

“United Torah Judaism” scored eight seats in the poll, while fellow ultra-“Orthodox Shas” party got seven, as did the left-wing Democratic Camp alliance.

Rounding out the poll with six seats was the Labor Party, which in these elections is running with former Orly Levy-Abekasis’s Gesher.

With 61 seats needed for a ruling majority, neither bloc could put together a coalition without Liberman, who is pushing for a national unity government of “Yisrael Beytenu”, Likud and Blue and White.

Liberman has again emerged as a potential kingmaker since a snap poll was called after elections in April, when Netanyahu came up one seat short of a majority because “Yisrael Beytenu” would not join up.