Israel's final election results confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies lost their parliamentary majority, setting up weeks of difficult bargaining among very different parties.
The numbers
Results released early Friday showed Netanyahu's bloc with 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. The main opposition bloc, led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, won 48, and Arab-led parties won 19, a historic showing. A government needs at least 61 seats. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, remains in charge for now. "Now comes the truly hard part," centrist politician Yair Lapid said.
The choices ahead
Opposition parties that campaigned to unseat Netanyahu must decide whether to partner with Arab-led parties, a politically sensitive step taken only once before, briefly, in 2021, or instead join Netanyahu in a possible unity government. Results must be certified and sent to President Isaac Herzog next Wednesday, and he will then task someone with trying to form a government. If several attempts fail, Israel faces a new election early next year, which Herzog said he would do everything to avoid.
Allegations without evidence
Netanyahu and his Likud party amplified unsubstantiated claims that Arab-led parties "stole" the election, possibly with foreign help. The head of the election committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, said he could not verify claims of foreign interference but asked the Shin Bet to investigate; the committee also called allegations of systematic violations "baseless." Qatar dismissed accusations of involvement as "ridiculous and dangerous."
A shift in the Knesset
The new Knesset is expected to be sworn in Nov. 10. Eisenkot's bloc and Arab parties could then join to elect a new speaker, giving them control of the agenda.
What's at stake
If Netanyahu loses office, critics say he would face greater accountability over his corruption trial and an official inquiry into the security failures before Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
Sources: PBS NewsHour, Associated Press