The world is perplexed

We Israelis have always been hard to understand. Usually during wartime, but also on the night after elections, like last night.

Israel's proportional electoral system, which encompasses many parties, categories, ideologies and even multiple head coverings that signify totally different things, causes the world usually to look at the winner and give up on understanding the fabric of relationships involved.

Elections to the 19th Knesset required foreign correspondents stationed in Israel to figure out how governments here are put together. The world had to learn more about us. The great advantage is that perhaps they will also help us to understand ourselves better.

On many of the world's leading news websites, it took a while before Israel's election results became the top story. Perhaps the certain victory of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud took the excitement out of election coverage. But the world's leading newspaper, The New York Times, possibly came to the rescue when it designated Israel's election as the most important story by putting it in the top left-hand corner of its site. The newspaper explained that the right-wing bloc had squeezed out a tough victory while the Center had made tremendous gains.

"For Mr. Netanyahu, who entered the race an overwhelming favorite with no obvious challenger, the outcome was a humbling rebuke as his ticket lost seats in the new parliament,” the newspaper said. “Over all, his conservative team came in first, but it was the Center, led by the political novice Yair Lapid, 49, that emerged newly invigorated, suggesting that at the very least Israel’s rightward tilt may be stalled."

And this is the essence of the story. The world would prefer a different government from that of Netanyahu, not because of Netanyahu per se but because the world has never been in favor of right-wing leaders. Begin, Shamir and Sharon can also attest to a cold reception from the world media. But the citizens of Israel are the ones who choose their leaders. And perhaps this is why the international media are so excited by Netanyahu's expected coalition partners. The world would like a coalition of the Center-Left and Likud.

Close to midnight France's Le Monde also placed the Israeli elections at the top of its website. "Netanyahu: a smaller victory than expected" read the headline. The newspaper describes the prime minister as an "Israeli hawk" and is already preparing its readers for an unavoidable but strained working relationship with U.S. President Barack Obama.

The "second round" between Netanyahu and Obama will not be boring, according to Le Monde. Washington, the paper surmises, seems to be willing to take the lead to destroy the Iranian nuclear program.

"It appears that the United States is willing to take responsibility to stop the Iranian threat, as long as Israel does not ask for more sway over the freedom of choice of the United States, and that Obama-Netanyahu relations do not deteriorate further," Le Monde said.

Is it possible that Israel's government had a part in bringing Iran's nuclear program to the top of the international agenda?

Iranian television also did not overlook Israel's election results: "The right-wing bloc won the Israeli elections, which could increase tensions between Israel and the White House."

Iranian television made the call early that "the right-wing bloc won in Israel." No one ever said the Iranians were stupid.

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