Time for a peaceful government, thats what israelis want.

Lapid ough be PM for one year allowing Labor in with Likud and Hatnuya .Likud Betanyanu gets defence and foreign affairs for one year Labor some economic Portfolios and there will be defectors from Likud but Kadima and surplus votes will realise a centre Coalition for one year to test the Iranian and Nuclear Proliferation Threat .To 2014 then reasses.

with Lapid and Bennet.

three cheers for bibi. thanks, obama!

No pun intended!

Netanyahu used to have two wings to fly and now he has one wing and became a lame duck. He tried to be a king but failed.

First in the Likud primaries to throw out Likud moderates, then in the election when they voted for the religious right. Even their own Rabbis termed it an unethical move cThe electorate had clearly moved to the center left and Bibi should have the courage to form his government accordingly.

They had 42 seats [ 27 + 15 ] ! now 31 ! And bibi dares to say that we want him as PM ?

Bibi is establishing his government with rightist and religious parties + possibly (hopefully) Lapid... Israelis want a strong leader that deals with the terror threats, and that's what they get.

If we have 51%, less 0-18 (who don't vote) and over 55 (don't ovulate) lapid could get as much as 26 seats.

and I'm not expecting much different from him this time around. Avoiding being Obama's pet poodle by the skin of your teeth is not a very intelligent policy.

Netanyahu has a question to answer - is he a Zionist or not - will he form a zionist coalition and put the Haredim into place at last realize that the future of the country requires that we stop ruling over the Palestinians - and that if they will not negotiate borders, we have to decide the borders.

So they actually gained one.

It takes more than the government of Israel wanting peace. It takes the palestinians wanting peace. Just giving hamas & others whatever they want to get peace will not get you peace. Israel offered Arafat a palestinian state and he turned it down -- and he was more moderate than Hamas!

I defiantly didn't want to see Lapid do so well, he is a man not to be trusted at the same time I am glad we didn't see a leftist government which at one point looked like a real possibility. Whilst Lapid might be the big winner the big loosers are going to be Livni & Shelly. Once again Labor are in third place and only 4 up from the way they were last time and to make it worse Shelly has committed herself not to join the coalition. I think its safe to say next time they hold a primary Shelly will be given the boot especially considering there had been all the social protests and she still couldn't deliver the goods. Coming out of it with the same number of seats as Meretz I can't see her ego bringing her to run again next time. More likely that unless she can drum up some support now next election we will be hearing how Livni is getting out politics to spend more time with her family. Poor old Mofaz couldn't even get a single seat and its all thanks to Livni running Kadima into the ground and by the time he took over it was to late to turn around the damage.

Time for a change in Israel, time for a realist approach to international relations. Lieberman must not regain the post of the Foreign Minister. Yesh tikva, ulai?

nm

I finally feel that Yesh Atid. No longer can the religious right hold this country hostage. The middle class and the seculars have spoken with vigor and will maintain to do so behind a future strong coalition of centrist candidates. Until then we will deal with a lame duck coalition that will fall apart rather quickly. Expect another election to follow soon.

israel is more divided than ever in her existence. this division proves that the new israel is more parocial, less patriotic than in her past. hopefully, lapid will be mature enough to understand that the country is in grave danger.

those who supported naftali bennet as opposed to netanyahu, have done a grave disservice to medinat iisrael. they have deprived netanyahu of a strong mandate, sorely needed in these times of grave danger to israel. they have made israel weaker and the enemy stronger.

or not.

Centrist parties to keep their feet on the ground and build credibility over the next 4 years. Had there been a more established force, Nethanyahu would've been on the garbage dump where he should be.

Time to move forward - Opinions are divided and will always be divided - Nothing wrong with that - This is democracy - Win or lose - Hold your head high - we are all winners

This an excellent basis for a tough but egalitarian coalition that will stand up to Iran and.close the social gap.some of the Harediim Youth have to do something as medics in cyberwarfare in helping the sick and elderly and emphasizing to the secular the humanitarian Laws of Judaism.those Arabs who have the capacity to live in peace with their neighbours ought get a better deal

= "uh oh" for the Haredi...

Even if she included the arab parties 10 seats, 6 of which are hostile to Israel, she would still be 5 seats short of forming a government because the Haredi parties will not sit with her. Bibi can form a government wthout Haredim with Lapid or vice versa.