Netanyahu faces deadlock as Arab parties surge in Knesset
With over 99% of ballots counted, neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition reached the 61 seats required to form a government, leaving Israel's 120-member Knesset without a governing majority. Arab parties captured a record 19 seats, giving them a potential kingmaker role, and the Democratic Party was projected to win nine to ten seats, prompting its lawmakers to seek a coalition with the Arab Ra'am party. The Jerusalem Post projected the Democrats' seat count, and Ynetnews reported that Democratic lawmakers urged cooperation with Ra'am.
Al Jazeera quoted Balad party leader Sami Abu Shehadeh as calling the exclusion of Arab parties from coalition talks racist. The Independent said President Donald Trump would monitor the coalition-building process, and that Israeli police dismissed Netanyahu's claim that Arab parties had stolen the election.