Israel – Aboutbul Wins Repeat Elections In Beit Shemesh

    24

    Beit Shmesh, Israel – The hotly contested mayoral race in Beit Shemesh has finally come to an end, with incumbent mayor Moshe Abutbul defeating rival Eli Cohen by a margin of 960 votes.

    Join our WhatsApp group

    Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email


    Abutbul received 19,190 votes, coming in ahead of Cohen’s 18,230 votes, as reported by on Israeli news sites.

    Abutbul’s win represents a victory for the Chareidi community. According to reports on Arutz 7, 76 percent of Beit Shemesh’s registered voters turned out for today’s election, a significantly higher number than in the October 2013 election, which was plagued by reports of voter fraud, as previously reported on VIN News.

    “We are going out on a new path,” said Abutbul in an interview with Radio Kol Chai. We have proven that we did nothing wrong and that the residents of Beit Shemesh love us.”

    “We have sanctified G-d’s name,” added Abutbul.

    Tensions ran high in Beit Shemesh today, as reported on Israeli news site Nana, with one local resident remarking “If Eli Cohen wins today there will be a civil war here.”

    500 policemen, border patrol agents and other security personnel were called in and stationed in and around polling stations and the day passed by without any notable incidents.

    Speaking on Kol B’Ramah, Aryeh Deri, leader of the Shas party, called Abutbul’s win “a victory for the entire Jewish nation.”

    “Whoever thought that we could win when everyone was against us is smiling tonight,” said Deri. “Abutbul’s win came mostly from the older neighborhoods in Beit Shemesh, which had a large turnout. I am happy with today’s results.”

    Cohen conceded the elections before the results were officially announced, and in a conversation with Abutbul said, “It was a tight race, but we accept the decision of the voters. With G-d’s help Beit Shemesh will be happy from here on in.”

    Beit Shemesh residents took to the streets to celebrate after hearing of Abutbul’s victory, despite the late hour and the falling rain. Festive Chasidic music played in the streets of Beit Shemesh and on Chareidi radio stations throughout the night.

    Allegations of fraud arose once again in today’s election with both a Chareidi man and a young secular Israeli woman accused of having voted twice.


    Listen to the VINnews podcast on:

    iTunes | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Podbean | Amazon

    Follow VINnews for Breaking News Updates


    Connect with VINnews

    Join our WhatsApp group


    24 Comments
    Most Voted
    Newest Oldest
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    Deveee
    Deveee
    10 years ago

    Thank you Hashem!
    Chasdei Hashem Ki Lo Samnu!

    You claimed false fraud?
    You got a new election with the same result.

    ActualJew
    ActualJew
    10 years ago

    Great, people who vote for a living win. Big surprise. Seculars are leaving and haredim reproduce as a profession. They could have won the first time honestly, but that is not their M.O.

    10 years ago

    Mazel tov. I was singing in my car in flatbush when I heard the good news. Now the chareidim make up fifty percent of first graders nationwide in israel. This means in twelve years we frum yidden will be the majority. Beautiful. Congratulations beth shemesh. Let’s get a chareidi mayor in yerushalayim next.

    ALTERG
    ALTERG
    10 years ago

    Wow…. we won, the torah won, the jews won, hashem won, chareidim won,
    Now lets hope beit shames will stay fully jewish with no pritzis & less seculers around our streets

    deskjockey627
    deskjockey627
    10 years ago

    You can’t have majority chareidim and not join workforce or army. Cannot work.

    10 years ago

    I have to say, I am shocked. It just proves that G-d wants it this way – the secular turnout was very high & to be honest, b’derech ha’teva, Cohen should have won. Perhaps this result, in a strange way, will help convince the real seculars that G-d IS all-powerful. Because I am certain there is tremendous disbelief there this morning.

    Now it is time for us to move forward and rebuild, b’gashmius u’b’ruchnius. Things MUST change or the secular community will uprise. Corruption by Abutbol’s regime has to end. Everyone must be treated equally. Yes, I am happy the overall flavor of the city is frum, but Abutbol’s ongoing chillul Hashem in how he treats different segments of the community has to stop. Unfortunately, I think this pompous & arrogant man will believe he has a mandate to continue his divisive path.

    May Hashem guard us all. Let’s see what the next term will bring.

    ontime
    ontime
    10 years ago

    A real kiddush hashem

    TexasJew
    TexasJew
    10 years ago

    Now that this is over- can we live in peace?

    proud-mo-israeli
    proud-mo-israeli
    10 years ago

    talk about shooting yourselves in the foot! Bet Shemesh is going to be one of the poorest towns in Israel soon when all the normal people move out & no one is left to pay municipal rates

    10 years ago

    I’m number 3 responding. If you have even 51 per cent you are in the majority. Don’t forget that secular israelis are leaving israel. Twelve more years and israel will be a real jewish country

    10 years ago

    Terrible news, more spitting at little girls by perverts.

    Anon25
    Anon25
    10 years ago

    I must admit that I havent read all of your silly responses here as just the early ones made me sick to my stomach. How each of you seems to believe that Hashem has spoken to them and explained how Abutbol and his despicable sidekicks represent Daas Toirah. These are people who have the nerve to perpetuate a fraud (and I dont mean what the Israeli Supreme Court called fraud – though I agree with their decision). If there was one ballot that was defaced or one Teudat Zehut held for the purpose of voting illegally all of you should be up in arms. But I assume that you are the same people who back the child molesters or accept money from criminals for your yeshivas and shuls because they only stole from the goyim. Just because someone has payis and a black hat doesnt make him a tzadik and more importantly just because chasva shalom he doesnt wear a kipah doesnt make him the satan as Abutbol called Eli Cohen. As someone who has actually heard the voice of God and actually came to live in the homeland for and of the Jewish people (and more specifically Beit Shemesh) I feel morally free to tell you a truth, Eli Cohen represents what a Jew should be infinitesimally more than Abutbol.