JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday on his election victory.
Netanyahu’s victory ended an unprecedented standoff in Israel after five elections in less than four years.
This time Netanyahu, the dominant Israeli politician of his generation, won a clear majority in parliament, backed by nationalist and religious parties.
Tuesday’s vote saw Rapid and his rare alliance of conservatives, liberals and Arab politicians launch diplomatic aggressions against Turkey and Lebanon over the more than 18 months they were in power. It became clear that they kept the economy active.
Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud and kin parties won 64 of the 120 seats in the Knesset as a new surge in conflict with the Palestinians affected Jewish-Arab tensions in Israel.
Netanyahu must still be given a formal mandate by the president to form a government, a process that could take weeks.
While Washington has publicly reserved judgment pending the formation of a new Israeli coalition, a US State Department spokesman emphasized the two countries’ “shared values” on Wednesday.
“We hope that all Israeli officials will continue to share the values of an open and democratic society, including tolerance and respect for all members of civil society, especially minority groups,” the spokesperson said. Stated.
US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides said he looked forward to speaking with Netanyahu and “working together to maintain an unbreakable bond.”
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