Netanyahu bloc first but without majority as Arab parties hold balance of power in Israel election

Final results from Israel's pivotal legislative election this week showed there was no clear winner, with both of the two main blocs well short of a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc finished on 53 seats, while the opposition camp, led by the centrist Yashar party of rival Gadi Eisenkot, ended on 48.

Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party remained the largest party, with 27 seats, while the Arab parties secured a record 19 seats between them.

The result means Israel is now set to face a lengthy and likely tricky period of negotiations as party leaders work to form a government. Failure to do so would see Israelis head back to the polls.

‘Ra’am-gate’

Netanyahu has accused Arab parties of "stealing" the election, calling on police and Israel's domestic security service Shin Bet to carry out a "thorough investigation into election fraud."

The Likud party also pushed claims that foreign funding had been used to influence voters in the election. The allegations focused on claims that the Ra'am party had received money from Qatar.

"The ‘Ra’am-gate’ scandal is an earthquake. The Israeli elections have been stolen," Likud said in a statement on Thursday.

Ra'am party leader Mansour Abbas reportedly denied any wrongdoing and said he would welcome an investigation.

In a post on social media, Eisenkot said foreign interference was "unacceptable and extremely serious" and called on Shin Bet to investigate the allegations "fully and immediately, without bias."

Next steps

Moving forward, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will consult with leaders of the parties elected to the Knesset before assigning the task of trying to form a government to the candidate he believes has the best chance of securing sufficient support to do so.

Under Israeli law, that individual will have 28 days to carry out the job. The president is able to extend this by a maximum of 14 days if necessary.

Should that fail, the president can give a second leader the chance to form a government, this time with a maximum deadline of 28 days. If this second round were also to fail, then the Knesset can request a third candidate be given a go. They would have 14 days to complete the task.