Jerusalem: Counting has been completed in Israel’s elections held on Tuesday, but this time also no party has got a clear majority. Netanyahu’s Likud Party has emerged as the largest party, but the path of government formation may be more difficult for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu’s Likud party has emerged as the largest party after the counting of votes for the fourth time in two years. However, the way to reach the 61-member figure needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset (Israeli Parliament) is still unclear.
Most of the analysts predicted a Netanyahu-led coalition, based on the exit polls on Tuesday, with the support of Yamina party led by former defence minister Naftali Bennett, who has not declared his support for anyone but his political inclination is more likely to draw him towards the Prime Minister led right-wing bloc.
Bennett and Netanyahu had bitterly attacked each other during the election campaign but the former did not rule out sitting in the government with the latter.
However, in a surprising twist to the tale, the Islamist United Arab List party (UAL), headed by Abbas, managed to cross the threshold belying all predictions and secured four Knesset seats, spoiling the turf for the Netanyahu camp which finds itself at 59 seats, in the best-case scenario including Bennett”s Yamina party, making Abbas” support indispensable if the Prime Minister does not manage to split other parties opposed to him and draw the required support to form the government.