News:
PM Netanyahu [1] wins [2] a come-from-behind victory [3] in Israel's election [4] after tacking hard [5] to the right [6] in the final days of campaigning [7]. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/Washington Post/JTA/Times of Israel/The National)
Zionist Union leader Herzog [8] calls Netanyahu and concedes defeat [9] in Israel’s national elections. (JTA/Ynet)
The new kingmaker of Israeli politics [10] may be Moshe Kahlon. (AP)
The United Arab List receives [11] a historic 14 seats [12] in Israel’s next Parliament [13]. (New York Times/AFP/Ha’aretz)
Embarrassed at failing to predict Netanyahu's victory, [14] Israeli pollsters say they were blindsided. (Reuters)
Palestinian Chief Negotiator Erekat [15] says the election result means [16] that the Palestinians in turn willpush forward with efforts at the ICC [17]. (JTA/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)
PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo slams the Israeli public for voting for Netanyahu [18], saying they had chosen "occupation and settlement building" over peace talks. (AFP)
The international media say [19] Netanyahu wins big, but is leading Israel to isolation [20]. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)
The EU says it is committed to working with the new Israeli government [21] on relaunching a peace process with the Palestinians. (Reuters)
AP says Netanyahu’s reelection puts Israel [22] on a course toward ever deeper confrontation with the world. (AP)
Netanyahu retains power, but his sharp-edged campaign raises questions about Israel’s future [23]. (New York Times)
An Arab Gulf official says Netanyahu owes his election win to Israeli security fears [24], notably about Iran's growing regional influence. (Reuters)
Palestinian officials will meet on Thursday to discuss severing military ties with Israel [25]. (Times of Israel)
The PA sets an emergency budget [26] in place for 2015 due to the absence of pledged international aid and Israel withholding its tax revenues. [27] (Reuters/Times of Israel)
Egypt demolishes 1,020 Rafah homes [28] for a buffer zone in Gaza. (Ma’an).
Israeli forces open fire on farmers [29] in Gaza. (Ma’an)
Coalition Head John Allen [30] says the US still wants a negotiated political settlement in Syria that excludes Pres. Assad. (Reuters)
The Syrian army takes control [31] of the strategic village of Handarat, north of Aleppo. (Reuters)
The US loses one of its Predator drone [32] aircraft over northwest Syria. [33] (Reuters/AP)
DM al-Obeidi says Iraq's Sunni province of Anbar is key [34] to launching the long-awaited operation to retake the city of Mosul from ISIS. (AP)
Gunmen wearing military uniforms [35] attack the Bardo National Museum [36] in downtown Tunis [37], killing at least seven foreign visitors [38] and one Tunisian and taking hostages. (New York Times/AP/The National/Al Arabiya)
Commentary:
The New York Times [39] says in his desperation to win, Netanyahu resorted to fear-mongering and anti-Arab attacks. (New York Times)
Oudeh Basharat [40] says it turns out that Palestinian citizens of Israel are indeed a threat; they threaten the hegemony of a government that divides the two peoples. (Ha’aretz)
Roger Cohen [41] says a national unity government may be the least bad outcome for Israel. (New York Times)
Gideon Levy [42] says Netanyahu and the Israeli people deserve each other. (Ha’aretz)
The National [43] says Arab unity and Israeli racism are the election winners, paving the way for international pressure. (The National)
Bradley Burston [44] says he is ashamed that PM Netanyahu is such a racist. (Ha’aretz)
Allison Kaplan Sommer [45] looks at the “six big surprises” of the 2015 Israeli election. (Ha’aretz)
Uriel Heilman [46] looks at five takeaways from the Israeli election. (JTA)
David Horovitz [47] says the question now is how Netanyahu will use his power. (Times of Israel)
Haviv Rettig-Gur [48] asks what is the future for the Israeli left. (Times of Israel)
Ha’aretz [49] says Kahlon must thwart the establishment of an extreme right-wing government. (Ha’aretz)
Nathan Guttman [50] says there is little hope for repairing ties between the US and Israel. (The Forward)
Thomas Friedman [51] says in looking at Israel, Iran and ISIS, it seem as though the US has only bad choices, and nothing ever works. (New York Times)