JTA: “In the Aftermath of Israeli Elections”

Aaron Keyak — February 11, 2009 – 5:21 pm | Israel Comments (0) Add a comment

Marcy Oster of JTA has a good rundown of links concerning the aftermath of the Israeli elections.

If Israel’s elections proved one thing, according to many commentators, it’s this: the electoral system is a disaster.

* Jerusalem Post editor David Horovitz wrote Wednesday that “the most blatant failure was that of our electoral system, insistentlyunreformed by our politicians, and again apparently denying whoever becomes prime minister the solid bedrock of parliamentary support so vitally needed to steer Israel through the mounting regional challenges it faces.”

* Ynet’s Eitan Haber called for changing the election system.

* The New York Times says the political jockeying to assemble a governing coalition will be intense and lengthy.

* Israel’s shekel, bonds and stocks fell in the wake of Israel’s national elections, which Bloomberg says will weaken the ability of a new government to make policy decisions.

* The Economist headline says it all: Zippy Livni; nearly Netanyahu.

* Al Jazeera’s English Web site asks its readers if the peace process will survive Israel’ election results. Read the more than 300 talkbacks.

* As if electing one prime minister is not bad enough, Ynet columnist Attila Somfalvi says the ambiguous election result could lead to a Livni-Bibi rotation (But Post editor Horovitz says that the election arithmetic puts Netanyahu in the coalition-building driver’s seat.)

* In a quick about-face,  Kadima official tells Jerusalem Post’s Amir Mizroch that Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu Party is “not really in the right-wing bloc” and that the party is more of a natural partner than Likud. Mizroch also reports on Kadima’s winning campaign strategy.

* The Jerusalem Post’s Herb Keinon says the close election results are another mixed message sent by an electorate that is confused and frustrated by the peace process.

* Instead of gloating over its Livni endorsement, Ha’aretz used its editorial to laud the rise in voter turnout.

Click here to see the rest.

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