DEVELOPING: Netanyahu Prepares for Election Loss by Borrowing a Note from Donald Trump

Seven million Israelis vote today. Three million Palestinians under the same army do not, and Netanyahu already has the words ready if he loses.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. in Israel for the first election since Oct. 7, 2023. Benjamin Netanyahu went in behind: Likud polled 19 to 21 seats in the final three polls, Gadi Eisenkot's new Yashar party 22 to 23, and Netanyahu's bloc sat at 50 of the 61 seats he needs. He is a prime minister on trial for bribery, under an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, with 74,000 dead in Gaza and no inquiry into the attack that started the war. Hamas still exists. Hezbollah still exists. Iran did not go away.

So he did what Donald Trump did in 2020.