Netanyahu's bloc falls eight seats short of a majority as a record Arab vote leaves Israel facing coalition deadlock
Benjamin Netanyahu, whose Likud party has filed witness statements and physical evidence with Israeli police alleging cash-filled envelopes containing Ra'am ballots were distributed to manipulate the vote.
Final results from Israel's Central Elections Committee confirm Netanyahu's Likud emerged as the largest single party with 27 seats, but his bloc's 53-seat total leaves him well short of governing alone. President Isaac Herzog is expected to receive the certified results on 4 November before deciding whom to task with forming a government. Washington has signalled frustration at the deadlock, with no clear path to a stable administration in sight.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid insists talks are already happening: 'If you want to know if something's happening behind the silence, the answer is yes.'
Eisenkot's rivals have ruled out Arab parties in any coalition — but without them his bloc's 48 seats cannot reach the 61-seat threshold either.
Should every attempt at coalition-building fail, Israel would head back to the polls early next year, leaving Netanyahu's government to continue in a caretaker capacity.
