Netanyahu falls short of majority after Israeli vote

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fallen short of capturing the majority needed to form a government, near-final election results showed Wednesday, deepening a year of political deadlock and appearing to dash the long-serving leader’s hopes for a decisive victory as his trial on corruption charges nears.

In an angry tirade, Netanyahu conceded that he did not have the parliamentary support to form a new government right away. But he still tried to claim victory as he lashed out at his main opponent and disparaged the leading Arab party — the third-largest in parliament — as irrelevant.

“This is what the nation decided,” he said. “The public gave me more votes than any other candidate for prime minister in the nation’s history.”

After failing to form a government following two general elections last year and with his legal woes closing in, Netanyahu had been hoping for a clear win in Monday’s vote. With initial exit polls predicting a near majority for Netanyahu and his nationalist-religious allies, he declared a “great victory” to thousands of jubilant supporters under a torrent of confetti on election night.

But Wednesday’s near-final tally painted a different picture. With over 99 percent of the votes counted, Netanyahu’s Likud led the way with 36 seats, ahead of challenger Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party, with 33 seats. Yet with his allies, Netanyahu’s right-wing camp held a total of only 58 seats, three shy of the 61 needed to form a government and with no clear path to reaching the threshold. Final results were expected later Wednesday.

In a meeting with his political allies Wednesday, Netanyahu continued to portray himself as a winner, despite the likely impasse he faces.