fbpx

Israel to Hold Second Round of Elections in September

[additional-authors]
May 29, 2019
Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement to the media in his residency in Jerusalem February 28, 2019 REUTERS/ Ronen Zvulun

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party failed to form a coalition before Wednesday’s deadline, triggering a second round of elections.

According to the Times of Israel, the Knesset voted 74 to 45 to hold new elections on September 17. Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman was the main obstacle to Netanyahu forming a coalition, as Netanyahu refused to support Liberman’s bill requiring haredim to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

“The Likud failed in this work of building a coalition… and they and the haredim are to blame for Israel going to elections,” Liberman told reporters.

The Likud Party lambasted Liberman in a statement, accusing him of aiming “to end Netanyahu’s career and replace him.”

This will be the first time in Israel’s history to have two elections in the same year.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Michael Douglas Memoir, ‘One Helluva Ride,’ Is a Helluva Read

At 82, Douglas has survived cancer, is married to the love of his life, Catherine Zeta-Jones, has been in iconic films including “Wall Street” and “Basic Instinct” and grew up with the pressure of having a famous father, the legendary actor Kirk Douglas.

A Burst of Inspirational Art in Hadassah

What makes them special, in addition to their ethereal beauty, is that four of the paintings are of women; two others, while abstract, appear to reference the female.

Jon Polin Wants Answers, Not Revenge, Three Years After Oct. 7

One day before the three-year anniversary of the Oct. 7th attacks, the father of slain hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin called for a national commission of inquiry, spoke about what comes next for him and Rachel, and said punishment for Israel’s failures is not what he seeks.

Making Jewish Fiction New Again

In a climate of anti-Jewish censorship, a new fiction imprint from Wicked Son will play a part in determining the future of Jewish fiction in America.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.