Israel's Netanyahu and Eisenkot face difficult paths to power
In the aftermath of Israel's general election, neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main rival, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, appear set to win a majority in the 120-seat parliament. With the Likud emerging as the largest single party, Netanyahu's existing bloc with ultra-nationalist and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties is just short of a 61-seat majority. However, analysts caution that the early count was skewed towards areas known to have strong right-wing support, and the final results may yet change.
Eisenkot's bloc, on the other hand, would struggle to command a parliamentary majority without the support of parties led by Israel's Arab minority, who have equalled or gained on their previous record number of seats. Most Jewish opposition parties have pledged not to work with Arab-majority lists, citing a lack of shared values. However, Israel's Arab-led parties could emerge as kingmakers if others were prepared to join forces with them.
The high number of as-yet-uncounted absentee ballots, mostly representing the votes of Israeli soldiers, means that a clear picture of the final results may not emerge for another day or two. Overnight, both Netanyahu and Eisenkot addressed their supporters, pledging to form the next government.
The election has served as a referendum on Netanyahu's leadership and the kind of country Israel should be. The PM and his current coalition partners have taken the country on a hardline religious, nationalist trajectory over the past four years, which has been met with mass protests and criticism from many Israelis who want to see their country more firmly anchored in liberal and secular values.
The leaders of the bigger parties will now engage in intense political wrangling to try to form a new coalition government, with each side trying to win over defectors or form a minority government. However, this may not be possible, and it could take weeks or months to see if someone is actually capable of forming a government.
