Bibi's Bad Day

Israeli election results are in, and while Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu will continue in office, his Likud Party will have to form a more moderate government after the moderate Yesh Atid party made significant gains in the Knesset. A new governing coalition will have to be formed, and will force the new government to moderate its positions on settlements and peace talks. Other right wing parties lost ground in the election, including the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, which was virtually shut out. The Likud itself lost some 25% of its Knesset seats.

This is a break for the Obama Administration, which has become frustrated with Netanyahu's hard line positions, failure to move peace talks forward, and obvious tilt toward the politics of the Rethugs here in the U.S.