JERUSALEM — Final results from Israel’s election give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc 53 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, short of a majority, while Likud figures have alleged the vote was “stolen.”
The bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48 seats and Arab parties won a record 19, according to the BBC.
Israel’s Shin Bet security service is investigating allegations of funding linked to Qatar and Turkey. Qatar called the claims “ridiculous and dangerous.”
The acting director general of the Central Elections Committee, Dean Livne, said there was “no basis for allegations of systematic violations.” Eisenkot accused his rivals of an “orchestrated and organized campaign to delegitimize” the result.
With neither bloc holding a majority on its own, the result leaves several possible paths to forming a government, and the role of the Arab parties is likely to be central to the coming negotiations.
Sources: BBC News
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