Large segments of Israel's Palestinian Arab minority have historically stayed home and not voted in the country's elections. But they turned out in record numbers this week, reflecting a desperation that outweighed any qualms about participation.
The leading contenders, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot, aren’t substantially different in their approach to Israel’s security or in their opposition to a Palestinian state.
Campaign posters for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud party, and Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, in Hadera, Israel, on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party and its allies won 53 seats in Parliament, falling short of the outright majority needed to form a government. The main opposition bloc, led by Gadi Eisenkot, won 48.
Despite years of political baggage, the Israeli prime minister outperformed expectations, and his rivals, by playing on Jewish voters’ fears of Arab political power and potential security threats.
Deadlock is possible, as neither the bloc of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main challenger have won a majority. But there are still paths to a new government.
The Arab parties have long been kept on the political sidelines. But stunning turnout by their supporters makes the Arab minority an Israeli political reality that cannot be ignored.
Votes are still being counted, but it appears that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition nor the opposition alliance headed by Gadi Eisenkot will have a majority.
Anxious Israelis watched election results near completion Wednesday after the highest voter turnout in over a quarter-century, as no clear winner emerged and weeks of negotiating could lie ahead for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and an array of opposition parties trying to unseat him.
Votes are still being counted, and much is in flux. But as the stage was set for bitter talks over forming a government, nearly all sides could face disappointment.
After polls close late Tuesday, the jostling for power is likely to begin — between parties small and big — to achieve a governing coalition and name the next prime minister.
Israelis are voting in a pivotal election Tuesday as their country wrestles with unresolved wars, continues to reel from Hamas' 2023 attack and is deeply divided over the character of the state and the right person to lead it.
A banner for the Likud party and its leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, with the slogan, “The Right or Palestine.” Other candidates in the elections are to the left of it.
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