Smotrich's Religious Zionism Party Faces Disappointment in Early Election Results
Translated & summarized from Arab48 by baba
Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party faced disappointment with early election projections showing six Knesset seats, leading to a subdued atmosphere at their headquarters. Smotrich later arrived to a more enthusiastic reception and criticized Arab celebrations of the results, vowing to continue the settlement enterprise. Arab parties are projected to gain significant representation, while Zionist blocs remain closely contested without a clear majority, pending final vote counts.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Religious Zionism party activists expressed disappointment with early projections of six Knesset seats.
- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized Arab celebrations of the preliminary election results.
- Smotrich vowed to continue the settlement revolution in the West Bank despite Arab opposition.
- Arab parties are projected to win between 16 and 18 seats in the Knesset.
- Zionist blocs are closely contesting the election, with no clear majority to form a government.
- The final results are pending the official completion of the vote count.
Activists within Israel's Religious Zionism party, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, expressed disappointment late Tuesday and early Wednesday following initial election projections that awarded the party six Knesset seats. The party's election headquarters, located at the Ramada Hotel in Jerusalem, appeared sparsely populated when the preliminary results were announced, contrary to expectations of a celebratory gathering. The venue was the same location where the party had launched its campaign, which had been crowded with party members and activists.
Despite the disappointment, some activists acknowledged relief that the party was projected to surpass the electoral threshold, a concern during earlier stages of the campaign. The Zehut party, headed by Moshe Feiglin, chose to monitor the results separately from a nearby location. Approximately an hour and a half after the initial projections, Smotrich arrived at the headquarters to a jubilant reception from supporters who carried him and danced, a stark contrast to the earlier subdued atmosphere.
During his speech, Smotrich criticized Arab celebrations of the preliminary results, stating, "I see on some screens that the Arabs are celebrating this evening, and therefore I announce to them and to you that we will not allow them to celebrate. They think they will succeed in thwarting our settlement revolution in Judea and Samaria (the occupied West Bank), and I tell them they will not succeed." He expressed hope that the final vote count would increase his party's seat total, suggesting, "The votes of the soldiers may raise us to a larger number of seats."
Smotrich's remarks come amid projections indicating a significant increase in representation for Arab parties, expected to win between 16 and 18 seats. Latest projections also show a close race between the two main Zionist blocs, with Gadi Eisenkot's bloc holding a slight lead in some projections, neither securing a majority to form a government. These results remain preliminary until the official vote count is completed.
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