Israel election deadlock leaves coalition talks ahead
· Politics · Israel
Israel's wartime election ended in deadlock, with final results showing Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc running neck and neck with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's camp and neither side holding a clear path to power. Netanyahu's Likud party alleged foreign interference and said Arab-led parties "stole" the election after his coalition lost its majority, drawing accusations of smear tactics. Former prime minister Ehud Barak said Netanyahu "did not win, he lost dramatically". Weeks of coalition bargaining lie ahead. In the occupied West Bank, Israel demolished the homes of assailants who killed two soldiers in Hebron, part of an operation that has displaced thousands of Palestinians.
Why it matters：The outcome decides Israel's course on the Iran war and Palestinian policy, and coalition arithmetic involving Arab-led parties could reshape its politics.
Key points
- Final results show neither bloc with a clear majority
- Likud alleges foreign interference; Arab-led parties accused of vote theft
- Israel demolished attacker homes in Hebron amid a broad operation