ISRAEL VOTING – AT 9:18 A.M. ET:  We've been monitoring today's Israeli election.  Polls are open now, and will close at 10 p.m. Israel time, which is 4 p.m. Eastern time in the United States.  (Ordinarily the time difference is seven hours, but Israel's switch to daylight savings time occurs later this month.)

The election is critically important for the future of the region and for the faltering American presence in the area.

Early indications are that voting is heavier than in the recent past.  Fox News estimates that between 60% and 80% of eligible voters will cast ballots.  Eleven parties are competing.  As we explained here last night, the president of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, will examine the results, determine who is more likely to succeed in putting together a coalition government, and ask that person to do so.  The choice will almost certainly come down to the sitting prime minister, Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu, and his main challenger, the representative of the center-left, Isaac Herzog.

As is the case in most elections in democratic countries, it is economic issues that dominate.  The main complaint against Netanyahu is not related to Israel's critical security situation, but rather that he has failed to improve the average Israeli's standard of living.  At the same time, every Israeli knows that the country is in constant danger, and will weigh the capacity of the parties to defend the nation and deal with a hostile Obama administration.

Obama is in fact playing a role.  As the old Soviet Russkies liked to put it, it is no secret that Obama operatives are in Israel working for Netanyahu's opponents.  Obama despises Netanyahu, and vile, anti-Bibi comments are regularly leaked from the White House.  Bibi's crime is that he won't go along with Obama's appeasement policies.  Is is also alleged – and this will be investigated by Congress – that the State Department has financed a group that is working to defeat the prime minister.  If true, it is a gross, possibly illegal use of public funds, and certainly would constitute inappropriate interference in a foreign election. 

We should note that, even when President Rivlin anoints someone to form a government, that someone might not succeed and Rivlin might find it necessary to name a replacement.  Polls show that Herzog's party is ahead of Bibi's.  But observers point out that Bibi might be better able to form a coalition government.  That is exactly what happened after the last national election.  Bibi's party came in second, but he succeeded in forming a government. 

So stand by.  We'll only have the basic voting results tonight.  Then the horse trading begins.

March 17,  2015