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.
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.
Israel’s military chief resisted the prime minister, who then pressed in recent days for a separate action, short of an overt strike, according to an official and a person briefed on the matter.
Supporters and opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have expressed intense anxieties about isolation abroad, security at home and the future of Israel’s identity.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, speaking to supporters in the food court of a shopping mall in Holon, Israel, during a campaign visit this month.
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