Israel's Final Count: Netanyahu's Bloc Wins 53 Seats, Eight Short of a Majority

Israel's Central Elections Committee released the final results of Tuesday's national election early Friday, and nobody won. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing bloc took 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset — eight short of the 61 needed for a governing majority — while the main opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot won 48, according to the committee's count reported by the Associated Press, the Times of Israel and the New York Post.

Netanyahu's Likud emerged as the largest single party with 27 seats, ahead of Eisenkot's Yashar with 21. The remaining 19 seats went to Arab-led parties, a record combined total that makes them the pivotal force in forming the next government. Turnout was 77.9 percent, with 5,716,665 ballots cast, the committee said. The result is a sharp fall for Netanyahu's camp, whose constituent parties held 68 seats in the outgoing Knesset.

The final count was announced while Israel's Shin Bet security agency continued investigating suspected foreign interference in the election. Acting Central Elections Committee Director General Dean Livne said the investigation "will not affect the final results submitted to the president," and stressed that it did not concern any particular sector of the population. The committee said the results remain subject to minor corrections during its routine verification process.

The official results are scheduled to be submitted to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday, November 4, after which coalition consultations begin. The 26th Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on November 10. Until a government is formed, Netanyahu — Israel's longest-serving prime minister — remains in office while the parties bargain over the combinations that could reach 61.