OTHERS ARE VOTING, TOO:  Israel goes to the polls today in a national election.  The results will substantially influence events in the Middle East and American policy in the region.  From Fox: 

JERUSALEM – Tuesday could be a big day for former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As Israelis returned to the polls for a fifth time in less than four years, the former Israeli leader is growing increasingly hopeful that a whirlwind election campaign and more than a year in opposition will be enough to propel him back into power.

However, his path to the premiership is complicated. First by the fact that he is currently embroiled in a high-profile criminal trial that includes charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, and secondly by the other political parties he might need in order to build his future coalition, which includes a faction made up of controversial far right-wing politicians.

Netanyahu, the longest-serving leader in Israel’s history, was ousted in the last round of voting in March 2021. Since then, he has watched from the opposition bench as his rivals – first Naftali Bennett and now Yair Lapid – ran the country with a fragile government coalition that included, for the first time ever, a controversial party from the country’s minority Arab sector. 

In an interview on Friday with Fox News Digital, Netanyahu said that he felt confident he could win this election and return to power with a more solid and ideologically aligned government. 

"I think there’s a very good chance we’ll win this time because people have tasted the difference," Netanyahu said, adding, "They put in a different government that made an alliance – and this will shock you – with the Muslim Brotherhood. They’re actually part of the existing coalition that was unraveled and that is unfathomable because these people don't recognize the Jewish state and they support the terrorists who seek to murder Israelis." 

Netanyahu said he believed that many Israelis wanted to see him return, leading a government that is "committed to Israel as a Jewish state" and "to restoring a powerful economy and a powerful military and security for all Israelis." 

COMMENT:   Netanyahu, who was raised in the United States, is a brilliant but outspoken leader who has both allies and enemies here. 

The Middle East is endlessly fascinating...and dangerous.  We'll follow the Israeli election. 

October 31, 2022