By Basant El-Faramawy
Israelis on Thursday waited for final election results to confirm what has become clear: neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his opponents have secured a parliamentary majority.
No clear majority
With about half a million absentee ballots from military personnel, diplomats, prisoners and hospital patients still to be counted, final results could arrive as early as Thursday evening. The election committee said reported irregularities were low in a relatively calm vote, and the outstanding ballots are not expected to change the outcome dramatically.
Difficult coalition choices
The lack of a majority sets up weeks of difficult decisions, including whether Jewish and Arab parties might form a historic alliance or whether parties that campaigned to oust Netanyahu would instead join forces with the divisive incumbent. Netanyahu’s Likud party received the most votes but has accused Arab-led parties of stealing the election, calling for an investigation without providing specific evidence.
Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s chief rival, made his first public statement since Wednesday, calling for a government that serves all citizens and reflects the popular will. He did not address the possibility of cooperating with Arab-led parties, which had a strong showing after some Arab citizens broke longstanding boycotts. The Joint List, one of those parties, hailed an “unprecedented show of strength” and noted Jewish voters “willing to swim against the tide of racism,” saying it was open to political cooperation.
