It's no surprise to me that Netanyahu is still in power. After all, he is the man the US wants to be there. He initiated the Christian Allies Caucus in the Knesset and allegedly provides John Hagee with regular security updates. And he is the one they are counting on to deliver the "peace." This is the man who promises, but does not fulfill. Jews are expelled while this Beduin shantytown on our doorstep is STILL untouched with its 'Palestinian' flag flying proudly out front.
I was very surprised that after all the polls kept predicting Bennett/Shaked and Feiglin getting in that they have now apparently failed to "cross the threshold." Now, who "wasted" votes? On the other hand, if this is all scripted anyway, why should I be surprised that the two loudest voices from the right opposing Netanyahu's policies should be nullified?
True to what I predicted early on, however, I will not be a bit surprised if, despite having sufficient support from the religious parties to form a majority coalition, Netanyahu will reach out to form a unity government with Gantz. Many sources are hinting at it.
...Although Likud and Blue-White could if they joined forces command a comfortable majority in the 120-member Knesset – this would be a landmark event in Israel’s political history – the reality for now is that the right-of-center bloc controlled by Netanyahu can muster 8-10 seats more than the left-of-center parties willing and able to support Gantz’s bid for the premiership. (Source)Should this unfortunate outcome be realized, it may also come as no surprise that the "Deal of the Century" is going to be a very bitter pill to swallow and only such a political arrangement will be strong enough to force it down our throats.
What may be most surprising in the end is how these "religious" parties will respond then. The only ace up their sleeve has been to abandon the coalition and collapse the government, but that nuclear option will have already been removed from the table by that time.
