With more than 90 percent of the ballots counted in Israel’s unprecedented third consecutive election within a year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is celebrating what he called a “massive victory.”

The 2020 elections pose a daunting question for Democrats – will they go with a progressive candidate or a moderate one?  In helping to decide which way to turn it could be helpful for the Democrats to consider the history of the Israeli Labor Party, which faced a similar crossroad and took a direction which led to its demise.

The big surprise of the Israeli elections was the lead that Likud got over centrist Blue White, 36 to 32. ALthough just short of a right-wing majority for Netanyahu’s bloc, the lead spells hope for Israeli rightists out from the deadlock of the past year.

Israel’s third election inside a year shows the rightwing continuing to gain ground. This is what Jewish nationalists want. A society governed by an authoritarian leader, no matter how corrupt. Just so long as there are no Arabs anywhere near power. The only hope politically is the burgeoning Joint List of Palestinian parties, which reject apartheid and discrimination.

A rightwing Israeli rabbi secretly taped his spiritual meeting last week with an adviser to Netanyahu’s chief rival, Benny Gantz, and the tape was publicized by a Netanyahu media mouthpiece. Now a second tape has emerged showing that Netanyahu and the rabbi discussed the secret tape before it was released. The scandal broke too late to have much impact on today’s election.

Benjamin Gantz, Netanyahu’s rival in Israeli election, denounced a corona hoax as an attempt “by Netanyahu to prevent you from going out and voting.” Two recent hoaxes about coronavirus contagions in Israel have led to warnings that Likud will attempt to used corona hoaxes as a tactic of voter suppression during Israel’s election tomorrow.

Finally, the ‘NY Times’ ends its blackout, and reports how Palestinian citizens are participating in Israel’s election on March 2. But the Times fails to state the fact that Israel is having its third election in a year in part because of Jewish parties’ racism against Palestinians being part of the government.

Just imagine the outcry if the New York Times completely ignored the existence of black and Latino voters in its analysis of the U.S. elections? But the paper continues to practice electoral apartheid in its coverage of Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced his approval of 3,500 new illegal settler homes in the highly contested ‘E1’ area.

On the eve of Israel’s third elections in a year, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu promises to build thousands of settler homes in an area which is widely regarded as a “red line”. He wasn’t the first to make this promise.