Israel election: Benjamin Netanyahu told ‘maybe time has come to say goodbye’ after hard-right coalition fails to win majority
Embattled PM pulls out of UN general assembly meeting after poll blow
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Your support makes all the difference.Benjamin Netanyahu was battling for political survival after exit polls showed his party had fallen short of security a parliamentary majority in Israel‘s unprecedented repeat election.
The election’s apparent kingmaker, Avigdor Lieberman, said he will insist upon a secular unity government between the prime minister’s Likud party and Benny Gantz‘s Blue and White party.
Based on partial results Likud is currently one seat Blue and White's tally of 32 seats out of the 120 in parliament. Mr Gantz’s party has previously ruled out a coalition with Likud while Mr Netanyahu remains leader.
Here's how we covered developments as they happened:
Campaigns run by Likud and Blue and White pointed to only narrow differences on many important issues: the regional struggle against Iran, the Palestinian conflict, relations with the United States and the economy.
An end to the Netanyahu era would be unlikely to bring about a significant change in policy on hotly disputed issues in the peace process with the Palestinians that collapsed five years ago.
Iftah Gorali told Bel Trew he was voting for the Blue and White party.
He said:
Most people vote according to what best serves their interests. But it's also often what they don't want. Because it's hard to like politicians.
I'm more realistic than optimistic. There's always a chance.
What drives me in my vote is integrity and morality. I think the country has been degrading in terms of its morality, in terms of the extent of corruption... We're not living in a disconnected vacuum. We're all being affected by what goes on above.
The corruption is just growing. There's Case 1, Case 2, already 4 cases. And we're always dealing with this. We have an entire country who most of the time is dealing with the prime minister's personal problems. Why?
No one thinks this time will be very different, in terms of numbers. But sometimes it can hang on just a few votes.
With Israeli media reporting more than 90 per cent of votes counted in Tuesday's election, the bloc led by Mr Netanyahu's Likud party was more or less even with a likely grouping headed by Mr Gantz's centrist Blue and White party.
A Likud-led bloc looked poised to control 55 of parliament's 120 seats, with 56 going to a centre-left alliance, numbers falling short of a majority government of 61 seats.
A Likud spokesman has said the leaders of right-wing factions have met Mr Netanyahu at the prime minister's office and pledged to work with him to form the next government.
Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled his planned attendance at the UN General Assembly next week in the wake of the election results, according to Israeli media reports.
A meeting between Netanyahu and Donald Trump on the sidelines of the assembly in New York will also no longer take place.
The pair had been expected to discuss an Israel-US defence pact.
Blue and White now have 32 seats out of the 120 in parliament, edging past Likud on 31, according to the latest results from the Central Election Commission.
The tally is based on a count of 63 per cent of eligible voters; overall turnout was 69.4 per cent.
According to those partial results, Likud with its natural allies of religious and ultra-nationalist parties have mustered 55 seats - six short of the needed majority.
Mr Netanyahu has released a brief statement following a Likud meeting.
He said on Twitter: "Once we have established the right-wing bloc, there are only two options: either a government led by me, or a dangerous government that relies on the Arab parties.
"At this time, more than ever, a government that relies on the anti-Zionist Arab parties must not be established. Every effort is made to prevent such a dangerous government.
"It is our commitment to the security of the State of Israel, it is our commitment to our constituents."
Mr Netanyahu has remained defiant, and says he will seek to lead a ruling coalition with his religious and nationalist allies, despite falling short of a parliamentary majority in Tuesday's elections.
Neither Mr Netanyahu's Likud party nor its main rival - the Blue and White party headed by former military chief of staff Benny Gantz - won enough votes to declare an outright victory.
With no clear winner in Israel’s election this week – as the Blue and White party and the incumbent Likud party are so far basically neck-and-neck, with 32 seats and 31 seats out of 120 respectively – the next governing coalition in Israel may not be formed for several weeks, writes Mairav Zonszein.
While it seems unlikely Netanyahu will remain prime minister, it is still premature to count him out. But what is clear – as could have been predicted before this second election, five months after Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition – is that while Netanyahu’s career as prime minister may be over, a nationalist right-wing agenda prevails.
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