Israel elections: Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc leads, but short of majority

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-led alliance was ahead of the Opposition bloc in the country’s general elections as the votes were being counted on Wednesday.

As of 2 pm Indian time, the Netanyahu-led coalition was leading in 54 of the 120 seats in Parliament, Haaretz reported. A party or an alliance needs 61 seats to form the government.

The Opposition bloc was ahead in 48 seats. The Arab parties, which are supported largely by Israel’s Palestinian minority, were leading in 16 seats.

More than 66% of the votes had been counted.

The results were largely in line with the exit polls, which showed a neck-and-neck contest between the alliances led by Netanyahu and his main rival Gadi Eisenkot, with neither predicted to secure a clear path to a governing majority.

The polling was held on Tuesday. The official results are expected by Friday.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is seeking another term after nearly three years of a genocidal war on Gaza.

Israel’s military offensive in Gaza began in October 2023 after Palestinian militant group Hamas killed 1,200 persons during its incursion into southern Israel and took hostages. Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on Gaza since then, leaving at least 74,000 persons dead.

This is the first general election since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza and the Israel-United...

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