Netanyahu's bloc leading Israel election but short of majority, partial results show

What the report says

Partial results from Israel’s general election show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc ahead, but still short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset. With about 85% of votes counted, the Likud-led alliance and its far-right and ultra-Orthodox partners were projected to win 53 seats, while the bloc around former military chief Gadi Eisenkot was on 48, according to the BBC’s reporting.

Neither side has secured a clear path to govern on its own, so both leaders say they will try to assemble coalitions. The BBC said Arab-led parties are projected to win a record share of seats, potentially making them crucial to government formation, although most Jewish parties have said they will not work with them. Final results could take another day or two because absentee ballots from soldiers, diplomats and hospital patients still have to be counted.

The election is being seen as especially significant because it comes after the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks and the wars that followed in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. Campaign issues included accountability for security failures, military service for ultra-Orthodox men, judicial reform and Israel’s international standing.

Once the results are confirmed, President Isaac Herzog is expected to consult all factions and decide who should be asked to try to form a government, a process that could take weeks. If coalition talks fail, Israel could face another election.