Israel election: Benjamin Netanyahu told ‘maybe time has come to say goodbye’ after hard-right coalition fails to win majority

Ali Jaffaly, an Arab who owns a store in Jaffa, said he was voting for the joint list of Arab parties.

He told Bel Trew: 

Last time I voted for Blue and White because there wasn’t a united Arab list, it was divided.

I thought, my purpose is to replace Bibi, there needs to be a change. This time I’ll vote the joint list, because now they’re united.

I really hope that even if Bibi won’t be replaced, the joint list will somehow make a difference in the government. If they have 11, 12 mandates it’ll really make a difference.

If Ayman Oudeh joins Gantz, I’d be supportive. So that there will be someone to make a difference to move things there. There are pros and cons but I think there will be more benefit for them to join the government than to stay alone.

In Gaza, Palestinians awaited the results of the vote.

"This election affects many things in our life," said Mohamad Abdul Hay Hasaneen, a janitor in the city of Khan Younis. "There might be limited escalations after the election, but I don't think this would result in a full war."

Mr Netanyahu, the longest serving leader is Israeli history, had desperately sought an outright majority with his hard-line and ultra-Orthodox allies in hopes of passing legislation to give him immunity from his expected indictment.

Israel's attorney general has recommended charging Mr Netanyahu with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three scandals, pending a long-awaited hearing scheduled in the coming weeks.

A formal indictment would increase the pressure on Mr Netanyahu to step aside if he does not have immunity.

Sami Haj, 21, a delivery worker in Jaffa, told The Independent earlier this week he did not know if he would vote.

He said: "There's no one to vote for. What's important to us is that there will be peace. People have stopped talking about it.

"There are people here and there who went to vote, but still, no there's nothing really meaningful happening.

It doesn't matter, it will be Bibi or no one.

"Today, the situation is that Bibi is an incitor.  Anyone who goes against Bibi, I'm not talking about in the Arab sector, I'm talking about the Jewish sector - anyone who goes against Bibi is considered a traitor.

"Every year it only gets worse."

Benny Gantz has said he has already contacted the leaders of the Democratic Union and Labor-Gesher to see if talks can begin on building a unity government, Haaretz reports.

“I plan to speak to everyone,” he reportedly told supporters at a post-election rally.

The unifying cry across the leaflet-strewn polling stations of Israel, a country deeply divided, was “please - no more elections”, write Bel Trew and Shira Rubin.

From leftists on the beach front of Tel Aviv to hard-right voters in Israeli settlements, no one could see the point in the country heading to the polls for the second time in less than six months.

All were also horrified at the possibility of yet another round of voting, as opinion polls released over the weekend predicted that once again there would be no outright winner sparking fears of a third election.

Many of those who spoke to The Independent blamed the incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the country’s longest serving premier and despite winning the last elections in April, failed to form a ruling coalition.

Private security guards shot and killed a Palestinian women wielding a knife at a checkpoint near Jerusalem, Israeli police have said.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the woman was taken to hospital where she died of her wounds, and that Wednesday's incident at the Qalandia checkpoint was "being looked into".

The Palestinian health ministry said video showed three Israeli security forces approaching the woman and one of them shooting her.

Additional reporting by AP

A story from the run-up to the election...

The United Nations has blasted Benjamin Netanyahu’s promise to annex nearly a third of the occupied West Bank, calling it “devastating” to peace with the Palestinians, as world leaders warned it would only spark more conflict in the war-torn region, writes Bel Trew.

Just a week before elections, Mr Netanyahu pledged to enforce Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and north Dead Sea area if he is re-elected.

Iran has been suspended from international judo competition over its boycott of fights with Israeli opponents.

It comes less than a month after Saeid Mollaei, the world champion, quit the Iranian team in protest at the boycott.

The International Judo Federation said on Wednesday that Iran is suspended ahead of a full hearing.

Iran's judo federation is accused of discriminating against Israeli athletes and breaking rules over manipulating competition results.

Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to have realised he was in trouble in this election, as our reporting from early on election day says.

A frenzied prime minister sounded the alarm about high voter turnout among Arab-Israelis and the left, calling an emergency party meeting and urging his right-wing supporters to cast their ballots, as he fought to cling on to power in an unprecedented second election, write Bel Trew and Shira Rubin.

Falling back on a tried-and-tested election tack, the embattled prime minister warned his support base that they faced the prospect of an Arab-controlled government if they did not heed his call to vote.