DEADLOCK

Final Israeli Election Tally Shows Bibi Fails Once Again

Netanyahu and his allies were only able to secure 52 out of the 61 parliamentary seats needed to form a new government.

Israel’s Central Elections Committee has confirmed the final results of Tuesday’s vote, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again failing to achieve a majority coalition. Netanyahu’s Likud party and its allies only managed to secure 52 out of the 61 parliamentary seats needed for a governing majority, leaving the country in a seemingly perpetual gridlock after four consecutive elections in two years.

Netanyahu had prematurely boasted about a “great victory” on Election Day, when results were still inconclusive. “It is evident that a clear majority of Israeli citizens are right-wing,” said Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. “They want a strong and stable right-wing government to preserve Israel’s economy, Israel’s security and the land Israel.”