Almost All The Votes Are Counted, And There Are 2 Ways That Benjamin Netanyahu Could Remain Prime Minister Of Israel

In the aftermath of the tightest election that Israel has seen in a long time, headlines all over the world are boldly declaring that “the Netanyahu era is over”.  But that is not necessarily true.  At this point it is going to be exceedingly difficult for anyone to put together a governing coalition, and as I will explain in this article, there are still a couple of ways that Benjamin Netanyahu could hold on to power.  This is a drama that is probably going to take an extended period of time to unfold, and Avigdor Lieberman is in the catbird seat.  The decisions that he makes in the coming days are going to be absolutely critical. (Read More...)

Avigdor Lieberman Is Israel’s New “Kingmaker”, And He Will Use That Leverage To Make Sure Israel Goes To War With Hamas

Last November, Avigdor Lieberman resigned as Israel’s defense minister when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to reject Lieberman’s plan for a military operation in Gaza and agree to a ceasefire with Hamas instead.  At the time, Lieberman called the ceasefire a “surrender to terrorism”, and of course it didn’t last very long at all.  Hamas has continued to bombard Israel with rockets in the months since then, and this has once again brought Israel and Hamas to the brink of war.  But everything was on hold until Tuesday’s election, and it appears that the outcome of that election is going to make war with Hamas much, much more likely. (Read More...)