Netanyahu survives, but Israel’s divisions run deeper than ever

After an exit poll gave the opposition hope, reality set in. With votes on the right, the prospects for the left and centre now look bleak. Israel’s closely fought election brought both triumph and despair to nearly every political community in the country. Initial results swung wildly, from the first exit polls to the slow count of actual votes. The bloc of parties loyal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might still win, and each side feels its fate hangs in the balance. So far, only one certainty remains: Israel’s bitter divisions are deeper than ever. Dahlia Scheindlin is a political analyst in Tel Aviv.