Israel's Netanyahu appears to win re-election to record 5th term as prime minister
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to have won re-election, after early exit polls had the race too close to call.
Israel's three main television networks on Wednesday called the election for Netanyahu; if victorious, this will be his fifth term in office, a record for an Israeli leader.
The right-wing Netanyahu and his centrist challenger, Benny Gantz, both declared victory on Tuesday, when the race was neck and neck. Netanyahu's Likud Party and Gantz's Blue and White alliance are projected to each win 35 seats, and if he is declared the winner, Netanyahu will likely form a coalition government with other right-wing and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties. The final results are expected by Friday.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Netanyahu has been the subject of several corruption investigations, and was indicted earlier this year; the details could not be released ahead of Tuesday's election, The Jerusalem Post reports, and it's likely someone will leak them on Wednesday. Over the weekend, Netanyahu vowed that if he won re-election, he would annex Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
-
Colbert, CBS spar over FCC and Talarico interviewSpeed Read The late night host said CBS pulled his interview with Democratic Texas state representative James Talarico over new FCC rules about political interviews
-
The Week contest: AI bellyachingPuzzles and Quizzes
-
Political cartoons for February 18Cartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include the DOW, human replacement, and more
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
