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Netanyahu bloc at 65 out of the 120 parliamentary seats, with 93% of vote counted
Two days after Israelis headed to the polls and the votes were almost entirely counted with Benjamin Netanyahu on the verge of returning to Balfour as the country's prime minister.
With 91 percent of the vote in, Netanyahu's bloc still stood at 65 seats, more than enough for the 61-seat majority. Meanwhile, the coalition led by current Prime Minister Yair Lapid is running out of options as it appeared that Meretz and Balad will not pass the electoral threshold of 3.25 percent to enter Israel's parliament, the Knesset.
Questions remains for Lapid and his bloc as to their lackluster performance. Other questions revolve around the government Netanyahu will put together, in particular who will fill the ministerial roles.
Ultra-Orthodox party leaders meet
Leaders Aryeh Deri and Yitzchak Goldknopf, heads of the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism respectively, met Friday to discuss cooperation between their parties.
Both parties are part of the bloc led by Likud head Benjamin Netanyahu and are expected to play important roles in his likely coalition.
Shas won 11 seats in Tuesday's election and UTJ seven seats.
Blinken thanks outgoing Israel PM, warns on West Bank violence
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced alarm on Thursday about rising tensions in the West Bank in a call to thank outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who has conceded defeat in his country's elections.
Avigdor Liberman says he rejected Likud request to join coalition
Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman, head of the right-wing Yisrael Beitenu, said on Friday he rejected a request from Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party to join the coalition.
Liberman told Ynet that he responded to a Likud request to join the next coalition by saying that he had "no problem" joining the Likud, but only if Netanyahu retires.
U.S. Jewish organizations react to Israeli elections
Israel announced the results of Tuesday’s election and Jewish organizations in the United States are producing statements welcoming the new government, but some are expressing concern.
Ukraine's Zelensky congratulates Netanyahu
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U.S. envoy to Israel tells Netanyahu he's 'looking forward' to maintaining 'unbreakable alliance'
U.S. ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides said he spoke with Benjamin Netanyahu and told him he looked forward to "working together to maintain the unbreakable bond."
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Final results: Netanyahu bloc at 64 seats
Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing allies secured a majority of seats in parliament, Israel's electoral commission said Thursday.
With 32 seats for Netanyahu's Likud party, 18 for ultra-Orthodox parties and 14 for a far-right alliance, his right-wing bloc won a total of 64 seats, according to results published by the commission.
The opposition bloc of centrist outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid won 51 seats.
Labor's Michaeli lashes out at Lapid
Labor chairwoman Merav Michaeli broke her silence on the left-wing party's underwhelming showing in Tuesday's general election, slamming Prime Minister Yair Lapid's campaign.
"Lapid was working against Labor and Meretz all along," she said, as her party was projected to win a meager four parliamentary seats and Meretz was wiped out.
Hungary's Orban congratulates Netanyahu
Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu on the victory in the Israeli general election. “What a great victory for Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel! Hard times require strong leaders. Welcome back!” Orban tweeted.
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Lapid calls Netanyahu to concede
Yair Lapid phoned Benjamin Netanyahu to congratulate him on his victory in the general election, as the last remaining votes are being tallied up.
Galon: Meretz collapse a 'tragedy' for Israel
Meretz party chief Zehava Galon commented on the dovish party's failure to clear the electoral threshold, describing it as "a very difficult moment for me and my friends in the party."
“The election results are a disaster for Meretz, a disaster for the country and yes, a personal disaster for me too.”
She laid the blame at the doors of Yair Lapid and Merav Michaeli, saying she pushed for a merger with their Yesh Atid and Labor parties, to no avail.
Likud down 1, Religious Zionism up 1 with 99% of vote counted
INSIDE:
Likud: 31
Yesh Atid: 24
Religious Zionism: 15
National Unity: 12
Shas: 11
United Torah Judaism: 7
Yisrael Beitenu: 6
Raam: 5
Hadash-Taal: 5
Labor: 4
OUTSIDE:
Meretz: 3.15%
Balad: 2.9%
Jewish Home: 1.18%
BLOCS:
Netanyahu: 64
Lapid: 46
Arab: 10
Netanyahu launches coalition talks with 97% of vote counted
Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday afternoon launched coalition talks on forming the next government with 97 percent of the vote counted.
The right-wing bloc is poised to pick up 65 seats in Israel's parliament, the Knesset.
Netanyahu tapped his close confidant, Likud MK Yariv Levin, to coordinate government talks.
Current PM Lapid expected to concede election after all votes tallied Thursday
Current Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid is expected to concede the election to his rival, former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Thursday afternoon after all of the votes are counted, according to Hebrew media reports.
Lapid will call the opposition leader and head of the Likud party.
The Yesh Atid party led by Lapid has told ministers to prepare for an orderly transition of power.
Parties by number of seats won with 93% of votes counted
Israel: Netanyahu intends to form a government quickly
Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu plans to quickly form a coalition after his bloc's victory in Tuesday's elections.
According to several media reports, Netanyahu wants a new speaker of the Knesset (Israel's parliament) to be sworn in before November 15, and to form a government as soon as possible in order to quickly eject current Prime Minister Yair Lapid from power.
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15% of 'double; envelopes counted: Meretz, Balad move away from eligibility threshold
After the counting of approximately 15 percent of the "double" envelopes, or approximately 105,000 votes, Meretz and Balad both moved away from the electoral threshold of 3.25 percent to enter Israel's parliament, the Knesset, with the minimum 4 seats.
Election participation rate estimated at 70.6%
The turnout for Israel's elections on Tuesday was ultimately lower than the 71.3 percent announced at the end of the ballot, the highest figure since 2015, and now stands at 70.6 percent.
Netanyahu bloc remains at 65 seats with 91% of vote counted
The right-wing bloc led by Benjamin Netanyahu as of Thursday morning was still at 65 seats for the 25th Knesset (Israel's parliament) with 91 percent of the votes tallied.
Meretz (3.17 percent) and Balad (3.02 percent) were meanwhile running out of votes to pass the electoral threshold of 3.25 percent to secure the minimum 4 seats to enter the Knesset.
The coalition led by current Prime Minister Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid stood at 45 seats with the Arab parties taking 10 seats.