Israel: elections – Netanyahu’s bloc in the lead but without a majority to form a government
(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - In Israel, the bloc of parties led by outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party currently holds a majority of seats (55), with over 50 per cent of the votes counted, but not enough to govern without forming a coalition: 61 seats are required to control the Knesset. The opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot follows with 49 seats. The Arab parties currently hold 16 seats, 12 of which were won by the Joint List: a remarkable result, which could make this third bloc the deciding factor. Yousef Jabareen, chairman of the Joint List, stated: “In any political scenario, they cannot ignore us.”
For his part, Netanyahu called overnight for the formation of a “right-wing” and “strong” government. “The Jewish and Zionist majority must rally and unite,” he added, opposing any “government supported by Israeli Arabs”.
red-fil
