The state of Jerusalem

If Knesset seats were determined according to the results in the capital, things would look a little different.

By IN JERUSALEM STAFF
A visitor walks toward the Dome of the Rock as he enters the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City (photo credit: REUTERS)
A visitor walks toward the Dome of the Rock as he enters the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City
(photo credit: REUTERS)
In last week’s cover story in this paper, “Capital candidates,” in which Peggy Cidor interviewed eight Knesset hopefuls who live in the city, several interviewees emphasized that Jerusalem is a microcosm of the country. But this week’s election results paint a slightly different picture.
If the capital’s results determined the parties’ success, Eli Yishai’s Yahad party (7.2 percent in Jerusalem), which with 3% of the vote nationally at press time did not reach the 3.25% threshold for entering the Knesset, would have earned at least the required minimum of four seats.
According to Central Elections Committee figures on Wednesday afternoon, the Likud won the most votes in Jerusalem, with 24.2% of the vote (23.3% nationally).
Not surprisingly, considering the city’s large haredi population, United Torah Judaism was next with 21.1% in the capital (5.2% nationally); followed by Shas with 12% of the vote (5.8% of the national vote).
The Zionist Union gained 9.7% of the Jerusalem vote (18.7% nationally), with Bayit Yehudi and Yahad earning 8.3% and 7.2%, respectively (6.4% and 3% nationally). Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu and Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid, both claiming to represent a socioeconomic agenda, garnered 4.7% and 4.2% (7.4% and 8.8% of the national vote).
The number of Jerusalemites who voted for Meretz, 4%, was similar to the national figure of 3.9%. With 4% of the vote, Yisrael Beytenu would not have received any Knesset seats in the capital (5.2% nationally). Finally, although the capital has a large number of Arab residents, most of them are not eligible to vote, and the Joint List earned only 1.2% of Jerusalemites’ votes, while a full 11% of national voters cast a ballot for the party.
Approximate figures as of Wednesday afternoon reported a voter turnout of 67.1% in Jerusalem, and 68.4% overall.