Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party are the winners in the Israeli election — though their coalition will likely fall short of a majority, so Israel will probably head to fresh elections in a few months.

But Bibi will have the upper hand — proving the exit polls and liberal pundits wrong. 

Projections early on election night showed Netanyahu’s coalition with fewer seats than the “ditch Bibi” alliance, even though Likud had the most votes; Obama-era officials and armchair “experts” jumped to declare that Israelis had delivered a “rebuke” of Netanyahu and his war strategy.

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Within hours, the results were reversed: Israelis had rallied behind their prime minister; the opposition — led by former Gen. Gadi Eisenkot — appears to have depended too heavily on the hopes of Netanyahu-haters in the media and abroad.

As the exit polls landed, Eisenkot called on Netanyahu to accept defeat and retire from politics.

Not so fast! If exit polls mattered, Hillary Clinton would have won in 2016, and Donald Trump would have been a footnote in history.

Trump’s endorsement likely helped Netanyahu in the closing weeks; it was certainly more powerful than Chuck Schumer’s vote. 

Recall that in 2024, with Israeli civilians under attack, Schumer took to the floor of the US Senate to demand that Netanyahu call new elections — an extraordinary assault on an ally in wartime, blatantly interfering in its internal politics.

Well, Israelis have delivered their verdict: They trust Trump more than Schumer. 

International condemnation like Schumer’s (not to mention the antics of Mayor Zohran Mamdani) likely helped Netanyahu in the end: Voters backed him rather than accept that enemies and antisemites would choose their country’s leaders.

Israelis told the world: We are a sovereign nation.

But Netanyahu should take one result to heart: The Arab parties did extraordinarily well.

That refutes claims of “apartheid,” but it also sends a message that hateful rhetoric from far-right Jewish politicians, and vigilante actions by extremist settlers, must end.

In the end, Netanyahu prevailed because voters respect strength.

He defeated Hamas and Hezbollah, brought back the hostages, and put Israel back on a path of economic growth.

Regardless of who governs in the end, the Israeli people back Netanyahu’s tough approach to Iran. Now it is time to end the war, with victory — and with America’s full support.