Israeli election deadlock leaves Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot short of majority

Israeli coalition talks are deadlocked following the October 27 election because neither major bloc secured a parliamentary majority, Al Jazeera reported. The election results are scheduled for official certification on Wednesday. A majority in the 120-seat Knesset requires 61 seats. [1]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing alliance won 53 seats in the vote, according to Al Jazeera. The Zionist opposition alliance led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot gained 48 seats. The Jerusalem Post confirmed both Eisenkot and Netanyahu are racing to reach the necessary 61 seats. [1][4]

The remaining 19 seats were won by two Arab-led lists, the Joint List and Ra'am, Al Jazeera reported. CNN reported that the leader of Israel's largest Arab political alliance stated there is an opportunity to remove Netanyahu from office. Meanwhile, Arab News reported that Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of leading a campaign against democracy. [1][7][8]

The Financial Times reported that Israel's election chief rejected claims from Netanyahu that the election was stolen. Netanyahu's supporters face accusations of attempting to delegitimise the results after raising claims about votes for Arab lists, Al Jazeera reported. [1][2]

As FTMQ Politics reported earlier, exit polls had previously indicated that Arab-Israeli parties would make gains in the Knesset election. The upcoming certification will determine which bloc can negotiate a path to forming a government. [1][11]