Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc leads with a projected 53 Knesset seats, while Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc trails at 48 seats. Crucially, Arab parties are on track to capture a historic combined 19 seats, denying both traditional factions the 61 seats necessary to govern. The final tally still hinges on more than 500,000 double-envelope ballots cast by soldiers, diplomats, and voters away from their home precincts. Meanwhile, Netanyahu will remain as caretaker prime minister until official negotiations and consultations with President Isaac Herzog conclude.
Key points
Arab parties reached a projected record of 19 seats, effectively blocking both major poli…: Arab parties reached a projected record of 19 seats, effectively blocking both major political blocs from easily forming a coalition.
Netanyahu’s Likud party accused Arab political parties of election theft and reported all…: Netanyahu’s Likud party accused Arab political parties of election theft and reported alleged evidence of bribery and forgery to security services.
Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen expressed readiness to back an anti-Netanyahu governmen…: Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen expressed readiness to back an anti-Netanyahu government from the outside without formally joining it.
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Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc leads but is falling short of the votes needed to form a government.
No clear winner has emerged from Israel’s election, with nearly 90 percent of ballots counted and both major political blocs falling short of the 61 seats needed to form a government.
The Israeli Central Elections Committee said on Wednesday that it had counted more than five million votes as of 9pm local time (19:00 GMT). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc is on course to win 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot is expected to secure 48 seats.
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Projections from Tuesday’s voting also showed that the Arab parties – the Joint List and Ra’am – could hold a record combined 19 seats.
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