Parties representing the Arab minority appear to be taking a decisive role in Israel’s parliamentary elections, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition and the opposition bloc led by his rival Gadi Eisenkot both failing to secure the majority needed to form a government.
According to Israeli media channel, after all the usual votes are counted, Netanyahu’s coalition is expected to win 53 seats, the opposition parties 48 and the Arab parties 19. At least 61 seats are needed to form a government in Israel’s 120-member parliament.
TRT World says that according to the election results, the representation of Arab parties is likely to almost double, making their role in forming a new government extremely important. However, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has not yet shown a clear willingness to form a formal government coalition with Arab parties.
Final election results are expected on Thursday or Friday.