Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a difficult fight to preserve his government after an election produced a deeply divided parliament, leaving neither major political bloc with enough seats to govern independently.
The results have created another period of uncertainty for Israel, with coalition negotiations expected to determine whether Netanyahu can secure another term or whether opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot can assemble enough parliamentary support to replace him.
Despite expectations that Netanyahu’s political fortunes could suffer a major blow, his Likud party finished as the largest individual political party in the election. That result keeps the longtime prime minister firmly involved in negotiations, even as the broader right-wing and religious alliance fell short of the numbers needed to retain control of the government.
The election also delivered an unprecedented breakthrough for Arab-led political parties, whose combined parliamentary representation could become a decisive factor in determining Israel’s next government.
