Exit polls from Israel's parliamentary election on Tuesday show no party or bloc on course for a clear majority. According to sources, projections by Israel's main television networks give both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud-led coalition and the opposition bloc led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party 51 seats each in the 120-seat Knesset.
A government needs 61 seats, leaving both blocs well short. Arab-led parties, which belong to neither camp, are projected to win 18 seats, their best showing ever, which could make them kingmakers if other parties agree to work with them.
Rival claims
Eisenkot said the result showed a lack of confidence in Netanyahu, and opposition leader Yair Lapid called it a "crushing defeat" for the prime minister's bloc. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar of Likud said the opposition's celebrations were premature, noting that Likud remained Israel's largest party.
What happens next
Final results are due on November 4. President Isaac Herzog will then consult party leaders and ask the candidate with the best chance to form a government. That candidate gets 28 days, extendable by 14. If coalition talks fail, the Knesset could be dissolved and Israelis sent back to the polls, with Netanyahu staying on as caretaker in the meantime.
Netanyahu, who has led Israel for nearly 19 of the past 30 years, has survived many political crises, and analysts are cautious about declaring either his victory or the end of his career.