Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu certainly has reason to celebrate. He surprised nearly everyone by securing a decisive electoral victory, winning a third consecutive term in office after his right-wing Likud party gained a five-seat advantage in the Knesset over its main rival, the center-left Zionist Union.
But the celebration is likely to be short. The way Netanyahu finagled this outcome — renouncing his commitment to a two-state solution with Palestine and pledging to continue building settlements on occupied land — will almost certainly have serious political and diplomatic consequences for Israel.
In recent years, Netanyahu's hardline stance has increasingly undermined Israel's international credibility, while convincing the Palestinians living in the occupied territories that a genuine agreement with Israel is impossible. (Indeed, Palestinians showed little interest in the outcome of this election.)