Five months after Israel legislative elections (בְּחִירוֹת), the country heads towards elections again. Israel second election in 2019 will be held on September 17th.

A couple of hours after the April election results were published, two parties’ leaders delivered a victory speech (נְאוּם נִצָּחוֹן). Both Likud and Blue and White won a large number of seats (מוֹשָׁבׅים): 35 Knesset sears to each. Established just months before the election, Blue and White (כָּחֹול לָבָן) recorded a great triumph by achieving a draw (תֵּיקוּ) with the older, popular Likud (לִיכּוּד). But a coalition is not built on a single party (מִפְלָגָה). The rightwing parties, to which Likud belongs, won ten more seats than the leftwing parties. Benjamin Netanyahu, chairman of the Likud’s speech was full of joy. “זה לילה של ניצחון אדיר!” (“It’s a night of tremendous victory! ”), he declared.

Watch the victory speech Netanyahu delivered on April 10th at 2 AM, with his wife Sara by his side:

Apparently it was too early to gloat. The President of Israel did assign the task of forming the government (מֶמְשָׁלָה) upon Netanyahu, but 42 days passed by, and Netanyahu became the first elected prime minister in Israeli history to stumble in forging a working government. According to the law, Netanyahu was supposed to face the President and inform him on his failure. But Netanyahu, who fears the President will impose the task to Blue and White’s chairman (יוֹשֵׁב רֹאשׁ), initiated a law to dissolve the Knesset (כְּנֶסֶת).

The twenty-first government lasts only five months, from April 9th to September 17th. It is the shortest government in the Israeli history. Within five months, Israel is going through two election campaigns (מַעֲרֶכֶת בְּחִירוֹת), including two sabbatical days, and millions of NIS of public funds, all due to coalition crisis (מַשְׁבֵּר קוֹאָלִיצְיוֺנׅי).

“פשוט לבכות”(nothing to do but cry), wrote a Globes reporter. Asaf Zamir, a new member of the Knesset for the Blue and White alliance, offered sarcasm on his Twitter account:

.בקרוב אתחיל בסיכום פועלי בכנסת ה-21… אין לי ספק שהותרתי אחרי מורשת משמעותית של עשייה פרלמנטרית מעוררת השראה

Soon I will begin a summary of my achievements in the 21st Knesset…  I have no doubt I left behind me a significant legacy of inspiring parliamentary action.

Watch the next video for more opinions about the repeated election:

The second election campaign of 2019 is no less turbulent than the first one. When Benny Gantz, chairman of Blue and White, was asked whether his party would consider a unity government (מֶמְשֶׁלֶת אַחְדוּת) with Netanyahu, Gantz didn’t turn down this option. “נעשה מה שטוב לישראל” (“we’ll do what’s best for Israel”), he replied. Gantz’s campaign advisers (יוֹעָצׅים) sent him in front of the cameras again to clarify the chances for unity government. Gantz, who served as the Chief of General Staff (רֹאשׁ הַמַּטֶּה הַכְּלָלִי) of the IDF, and therefore used his M16 rifle frequently over the years, told the reporters:

האוזן הזו זה הצד של האם 16, הוא לא שומע טוב, אולי לא הבנתי את השאלה, אני באתי להחליף את נתניהו, לא לשבת איתו

This ear is the side of the M16, it doesn’t hear well, I probably didn’t understand the question, I came to replace Netanyahu, not to sit with him.

Watch the full clarification in the next video:

 

Text vocabulary

Elections = בְּחִירוֹת

Election campaign = מַעֲרֶכֶת בְּחִירוֹת

Victory = נִיצָּחוֹן

Victory speech = נְאוּם נִיצָּחוֹן

Draw = תֵּיקוּ

Seat = מוֹשָׁב

Government = מֶמְשָׁלָה

Knesset = כְּנֶסֶת

Coalition = קוֹאָלִיצְיָה

Coalition crisis = מַשְׁבֵּר קוֹאָלִיצְיוֺנׅי

Unity government = מֶמְשֶׁלֶת אַחְדוּת

Party = מִפְלָגָה

Blue and White = כָּחֹול לָבָן

Likud = לִיכּוּד

Chairman = יוֹשֵׁב רֹאשׁ

Chief of General Staff = רֹאשׁ הַמַּטֶּה הַכְּלָלִי, in short רמטכ”ל

Adviser = יוֹעֵץ

 

Keep Calm and Learn Hebrew!

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