Israeli election heads for deadlock
No clear winner has emerged from Israel’s election, leaving a question mark over who will be prime minister, partial official results show.
With 63 per cent of votes counted, the party of right-wing incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu is just behind that of his centrist main challenger, Benny Gantz.
The results indicate that both men will struggle to form a majority coalition with smaller parties. Mr Netanyahu is hoping to stay in power for a record fifth term.
Citing sources in the Central Election Committee, Israeli media reported that Mr Gantz’s Blue and White alliance was on track to win 33 of the 120 seats in the Knesset (parliament), followed by Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party with 32 seats. A centre-left bloc led by Mr Gantz and a bloc of right-wing and religious parties led by Mr Netanyahu were both projected to control 56 seats - five short of a majority. Mr Netanyahu, who became Israel’s longestserving prime minister in July, has been in office for three consecutive terms since 2009.
The 69-year-old has pledged to unilaterally annex Jewish settlements and a swathe of other territory in the occupied West Bank if he is returned to power.
Palestinians, who seek a state in the West Bank and Gaza, with its capital in occupied East Jerusalem, have warned such a move will kill any hopes for peace.
Mr Gantz has not advocated any form of annexation, though his position on the creation of a Palestinian state is unclear. Like Mr Netanyahu, he has ruled out ever dividing Jerusalem.
These are the kinds of efforts the Christchurch Call to Action was designed for as we try to eliminate the spread of terrorist and violent extremist content online. The results indicate that both men will struggle to form a majority coalition with smaller parties.