The ultra-orthodox are the real winners in local elections. Now all that's left is for them to become part of society - voila! news.
The ultra-Orthodox achievement can be attributed to a relatively low voter turnout. The victory is clouded by internal divisions and bad blood between factions, writes Yonatan Zindel. If the sect has two factions and the Knesset has two sects, then the situation was burning, says Cohen. The results in Arad, Tiberias and Ashdod show that even the splits, deals and rivalries did not prevent the ultra- orthodox sector from driving voters to the polls.