Palestinian PM: Israeli Election Confirms ‘We Have No Partner for Peace’

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Wednesday commented on the results of Israel’s parliamentary election, saying it proved that the Palestinians had no partner for peace. In a statement released by the Office of the Prime Minister of Palestine in Ramallah, Shtayyeh said the gains made by the religious far right in Israel are “a natural result of the growing manifestations of extremism and racism in Israeli society, from which the Palestinian people have been suffering for years” and that “the results confirmed what we were certain of, that we have no partner in Israel for peace.”

With 91.6% of the votes counted as of 7:58 am Israel time on Thursday, former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is poised to return to the Prime Minister’s Office. He is likely to form a coalition government with the support of 65 members of the 120-seat parliament, the Knesset, including his right-wing Likud party, which is projected to win 32 seats, along with the far-right Religious Zionism party (14), and two ultra-Orthodox parties – Shas (11) and United Torah Judaism (8).