JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel looked set to slide back into political deadlock on Wednesday as the final votes were being tallied from the third election in less than a year, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party holding on to a solid lead but falling short of the outright parliamentary majority needed to form a government.
With nearly all the votes counted, Likud led the way with 36 seats followed by Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party, with 33 seats. The Joint List, an umbrella group of Arab-led parties, finished third with 15 seats, an all-time high for them.
Along with its religious and nationalist allies, Likud had the backing of 58 of the 120 incoming members in parliament — three votes short of the hoped-for majority. The final results were expected to be released later Wednesday. These were delayed because of new verification procedures and complications arising from tallying some 4,000 ballots cast by Israelis confined to home quarantine after possible exposure to the coronavirus.
Election workers were counting those ballots while wearing surgical masks and gloves. Israel has reported 15 cases of the new coronavirus, which has infected tens of thousands and killed at least 3,100 people worldwide.
Netanyahu, set to go on trial on corruption charges in two weeks, claimed victory after exit polls projected his Likud party as the largest faction in parliament in Monday’s election. But late fluctuations in the official returns signaled that Israel’s year of deadlock is far from over.
Although Netanyahu’s opponents together are projected to hold a 62-seat majority, they are deeply divided and unlikely to cooperate. They include the predominantly Arab Joint List and the secular nationalist faction led by Avigdor Lieberman, who has ruled out any alliance with Arab politicians.
Joint List chairman Ayman Odeh has announced a series of conditions for him to back Gantz as an alternative candidate and made it clear that aligning with Lieberman was out of the question.
“The Joint List won’t allow the racist Avigdor Lieberman to become a minister,” he told Israel’s Army Radio.
It’s unclear if Netanyahu can capitalize on the divisions among his rivals. Officials close to the prime minister have already indicated they are seeking to poach defectors from the opposing camp in return for plum political postings. All of the potential defectors have denied they would make such a dramatic step.
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