Although Netanyahu's right-wing bloc secured 53 seats, Eisenkot moved ahead in securing recommendations after garnering 56 allied endorsements for President Isaac Herzog's mandate. The political impasse is compounded by United Torah Judaism's refusal to endorse either candidate and the Joint List's indecision over whether to support Eisenkot. Certified election results officially dismissed Netanyahu's allegations of voter fraud involving Arab parties, which had turned out in high numbers to win a record 19 seats. If coalition negotiations collapse within the initial 28-day window and its possible extension, Israel will likely head back to the polls early next year.
Key points
Gadi Eisenkot has taken an early lead in the mandate process by collecting 56 recommendat…: Gadi Eisenkot has taken an early lead in the mandate process by collecting 56 recommendations from allied parties.
Failure to assemble a 61-seat majority within the allotted deadline could force the count…: Failure to assemble a 61-seat majority within the allotted deadline could force the country into another election early next year.
A new Democratic majority in the United States Congress threatens to restrict proposed mi…: A new Democratic majority in the United States Congress threatens to restrict proposed military operations concerning regional tensions with Iran.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Fifty-three seats. A lead over every rival bloc. And perhaps no government to show for it.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud emerged as the single-largest party in Israel’s new Knesset, and his bloc finished ahead of every rival camp.
Yet inside President Isaac Herzog’s residence this week, the numbers appear to be shifting towards the man who came second.
The numerical paradox at the heart of the election results has left Israel without a new government,
Netanyahu without a majority and his challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, without an easy route to power.
The final count gave Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Eisenkot’s Yashar-led opposition alliance won 48.
The two Arab-led parties, the Joint List with 11 seats and Ra’am with eight, took a record 19. The magic number is 61. And nobody has it.
Turnout hit 77.9 per cent, the highest since 1999, while Arab voter participation surged to approximately 77 per cent. Netanyahu, meanwhile, portrayed the surge in Arab voter turnout as an attempt to "hijack" the polls.
The two Arab-led parties, the Joint List with 11 seats…
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