San Diego Jewish World staff report
Israeli voters cast more ballots than ever before, but according to exit polls by television networks, there was no clear winner Tuesday in what turned out to be a contest between blocs led by Israel’s current prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot.
The 120-seat Knesset is ruled by whatever party that can cobble together more than 60 pledged member votes. That party’s leader is automatically the prime minister.
Neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot could reach 61 without the help of the Arab parties which again, according to the exit polls, elected more MKs than ever before — somewhere between the mid to high teens. Both Eisenkot and Netanyahu pledged on the campaign trail not to seek help from the Arab parties.
Where from here? Netanyahu will stay in power as the head of a caretaker government, while he and Eisenkot will try to persuade other parties to throw their support to them. Anything is possible, including getting members of the opposite coalition to switch sides, making an all-out effort to recruit some members of the Arab bloc, or scheduling new elections.
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Preceding was a San Diego Jewish World staff report.