Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing bloc nor the opposition camp led by former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has secured a parliamentary majority, Israel's Central Elections Committee announced on Oct. 28, with nearly 90 percent of ballots counted.
Netanyahu's right-wing bloc took roughly 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, while the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot, chairman of the centrist Yashar party, won around 48. Both camps fell short of the 61 seats needed to form a government.
Following the results, Netanyahu issued a statement calling for a strong right-wing nationalist government, and said Israel faced a historic opportunity to work with US President Donald Trump to remove the Iranian threat once and for all. Trump later posted on social media that Netanyahu had performed very well, crediting his own endorsement.
Eisenkot, in a letter to Israeli security officials, accused Netanyahu's government of becoming a transitional administration that has lost public trust, hinting at a potential new political configuration.
The Central Elections Committee said final official results are expected on Nov. 4, after which party factions will begin coalition negotiations to secure the seats needed to form a new government.
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