Vote counting ongoing in Israel

In Israel, the process of counting votes from recent legislative elections is continuing, with no clear majority emerging in the Parliament.

Netanyahu's bloc leading in projections

According to media projections, Benjamin Netanyahu's political bloc is expected to win 53 seats in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, while opposition parties are projected to secure 48 seats, and parties led by Arab politicians are expected to win 19 seats.

Remaining ballots unlikely to change results

Nearly 500,000 ballots remain to be counted, including those cast by military personnel, diplomats, and voters who were hospitalized or incarcerated on election day. However, these remaining votes are not expected to alter the overall results.

Next step: forming a government

The next step in the political process will involve the Israeli president, who is scheduled to appoint a person to form a government starting next week. If factions fail to reach an agreement, the country could be forced to hold new elections early next year.

Potential new election amid security concerns

If new elections are held, they would take place against a backdrop of security issues, as Israel faces strong international criticism over the situation in Gaza and the violence by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank.