In a shocking development that seemed out of reach only mere days ago, it appears that the Kadima Party has pulled a stunning upset of Likud and won the Israeli election. This means that, if the official results hold true to the exit polls, the moderate Kadima party will likely be asked to form the new government, holding off the conservatives led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Should the results be borne out, this means that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process will continue, rather than come to a screeching halt under Likud. This means that Israel will have its second female Prime Minister. This means that the settlements in the West Bank won't be given a green light to expand. And this means that President Barack Obama has a willing partner in pushing for a two-state solution.
JERUSALEM – TV exit polls show moderate Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni edging out hard-line leader Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel's election.
Cheers erupted at Kadima headquarters as the exit polls were announced on Israeli TV stations. First results are expected in several hours. Exit polls are not always reliable.
Even if the TV predictions hold up, it's not clear if Livni's Kadima Party would be able to form Israel's next government.
Israel's three main TV stations released exit polls as voting ended at 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Channel One and Channel 10 each gave 30 of 120 parliament seats to Kadima and 28 seats to the hard-line Likud Party of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Channel Two gave 29 seats to Kadima and 27 to Likud.
Of course, everything depends on who Livni decides to form a coalition with. But this is a shocking surprise and a pleasant development.