Arab parties win a record 19 seats and hold the balance in Israel's election as Netanyahu's bloc falls short
Seven men, including three school principals, have been detained on bribery allegations linked to the Arab Ra'am party after cash-filled envelopes were discovered in raids.
Netanyahu's bloc holds just 53 seats against the opposition's 48, with neither side reaching the 61 needed for a majority, leaving the 19 Arab-party seats as the decisive factor. Coalition talks have begun behind closed doors, with Netanyahu remaining as caretaker prime minister while negotiations play out.
Bedouin women's turnout tripled in some Negev villages after a grassroots campaign, with one activist saying: 'You need the power of all your votes.'
Netanyahu's Likud called the record Arab turnout the 'Islamization of Israel' and urged Jewish parties not to cooperate with Arab lawmakers.
Jewish ex-cop Yoav Segalovitz will enter the Knesset representing Arab Islamist party Ra'am, declaring: 'We are all Israelis.'
