Israel’s Netanyahu falls short of parliamentary majority
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Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again fallen short of a parliamentary majority with his hardline allies, final election results confirmed on Thursday, extending the country’s year-old political deadlock and weakening the longtime leader as he prepares to go on trial on corruption charges.
The embattled Netanyahu had been looking for a decisive victory in Monday’s vote, and initial exit polls indicated his Likud party and smaller religious and nationalist allies captured 60 seats, just one short of a majority required to form a new government.
The final count announced by the election commission determined that Netanyahu’s jubilation was premature.
Likud emerged as the largest individual party, with 36 seats, ahead of 33 seats for the rival Blue and White party. But with his smaller allies, Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc captured just 58 seats, well short of the 61-seat majority.
In a video statement, Netanyahu continued to claim victory on Thursday.
While Netanyahu’s opponents control a majority of seats, they are deeply divided, with a hardline nationalist party and the predominantly Arab Joint List among them. The Joint List captured 15 seats, making it the third-largest party in parliament – its best performance ever.
Those divisions could make it difficult for Blue and White’s leader, former military chief Benny Gantz, to establish an alternative coalition. If neither he nor Netanyahu can form a government, the country will head to an unprecedented fourth-straight election.
