The 69-year-old Netanyahu's apparent victory against long odds seemed to seal his aura of invincibility in the eyes of many Israelis, with some resigning themselves to living under many more years of his rule. But various political machinations in Israel’s unwieldy parliamentary system have created an unprecedented repeat election.

Netanyahu says radical anti-Israel congresswomen are "antithesis to the strong support for Israel” in Washington. The two were among the signatories of letter asking Israeli government to renew visa for Human Rights Watch Israel Director Omar Shakir.

With Barak as party chief, current leader Avi Gabbay would be able to withdraw from role with his dignity relatively intact, sparing him the humiliation he is likely to otherwise face from his staunch Labor rivals in the Knesset.

The polls are predicting more mandates for Avigdor Lieberman, but his irresponsible conduct during coalition negotiations could actually harm Russian-speaking immigrants by thrusting them unwittingly into a vortex of ethnic and anti-religious wrangling.

Ibrahim and Hadar Kozli, who in 2012 found the body of Majdi Halabi, a soldier missing since 2005, will receive the full monetary prize offered at the time, court rules, warning that failure to pay would hinder future rewards offered by the state.