Election stalemate – what next for Israel?
Defying pre-election predictions, and even exit polls, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and his right-wing ultra nationalist bloc is set to have the biggest number of seats in the 120 seat Knesset but will not reach a majority.
In this week’s Israel election, with few votes yet to be counted, he has 54 seats, while newcomer Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc has 49.
Neither is on track to reach the 61 seats needed for a majority government.
But post-election negotiations to create a coalition are the norm in Israel – no party has ever won a majority – and there is a bloc of seats that would get either…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.