00:45AM IL: Just as Tzipi Livni was about to begin her victory address, Binyamin Netanyahu entered Likud Headquarters and began to address his supporters. The event begins with the Likud campaign song and a standing ovation.
Thank you all. First of all, I would like to call all the members of the Likud list, members of the next Knesset, to please join me on stage.
Friends, in Eretz Yisrael the Jewish People arose and established a democratic state. Almost 4 million residents came out in the cold, Jews and non-Jews, young and old, right and left (booing from crowd), all the people, and we love all the people. Despite all the pessimistic predications, they came out to announce they care and the state is important to them. This is perhaps the most important thing that occurred tonight. We still do not know the actual results, but if they are exactly what the exit polls show, there is no doubt regarding what they tell us. The nation in Israel has voiced its opinion, loud and clear. The national camp, headed by Likud, enjoys a definitive lead. The question is not what the polls stated, but what the reality tells us. In the outgoing Knesset the nationalistic camp had 50 seats. Today, without a doubt, we enjoy a true majority.
My friends, there is also no doubt regarding the gain of our party. In the outgoing Knesset, as my dear friend Ruby Rivlin says “they voted us into opposition”, 12 seats, 10% of the Knesset, but today, we lead, and the two together, the right-wing majority and our gain states emphatically the people want a change.
The government under our lead must bring such a change into reality. We will be compelled to face many difficult challenges, security matters and economic issues. The Iranian threat from afar, the nuclear threat, and nearby, the terror. In addition, there is an economic storm the likes of which the world has not seen. We are burdened to deal with these major challenges.
The voters have stated he wants us to once again take the wheel and direct us out of this economic abyss. To succeed in the mission, we will partner with all those who wish to be a part of the mission, and enlist the best the nation has, some of whom standing on the stage now. With Hashem’s help, I will lead the next government and establish a good, stable and productive government capable of dealing with the security, economics, and deal with the pressing issue of widespread educational reforms.
I turn to potential partners in the right-wing camp, and already spoke with them tonight, and we will begin tomorrow morning towards forming the next Government of Israel.
As promised, I also plan to address the other Zionist parties towards uniting all our force to lead us to a new path of security, national pride, peace G-d wiling and prosperity. I would like to thank many of you, first of all my family who sent me and continues to support me all the time, through difficult periods, and many dear friends, first and foremost the MKs of Likud who will represent us in the next Knesset. (Continues to thank party activists throughout Israel and the voters).
I would also like to thank those who did not vote for us for this is democracy, voting one’s conscience. We will nevertheless work together, all the tribes working together.
Netanyahu came in second place in the popular vote according to exit polls, but remains the most likely candidate to form a coalition government.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
3 Responses
very undemocratic if you “lost” accept it like a MAN
Anyone who uses “with G-d’s help”; works for me.
PS The arabs always say, “inshallah” also meaning the same. It’s embarrassing when we don’t say IY”H.
It is very nice that Bibi mentioned Hashem in his speech unlike Livni.