Israeli election leaves Netanyahu short of majority as Palestinian turnout surges

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition has lost its governing majority following the country's parliamentary election, according to reports from the Guardian and the Irish Times. The Guardian reported that while Netanyahu's bloc lost its mandate, the opposition holds a potential majority if the Jewish opposition bloc can form a coalition with Palestinian political parties. [1][2]

The Irish Times reported that an 80 per cent turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel in Tuesday's election produced a record number of seats for Arab-dominated parties. Yousef Jabareen, the leader of the Joint List, stated that he wants to facilitate removing Netanyahu's government. Palestinian citizens make up approximately 21 per cent of Israel's population, the Irish Times noted. [2]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, partial results with 85 per cent of ballots counted showed Netanyahu's bloc set for 53 seats, short of the 61 seats needed for a majority, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot was set to win 48 seats. Following the vote counts, Netanyahu and his Likud party accused Arab parties of stealing the election through alleged fraud and bribery. [14]

Following the vote, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas stated during a visit to Cyprus that he hopes the election of a new Israeli government will allow peace talks to resume, Euronews reported. Abbas met with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia and asked Cyprus to mediate peace efforts between Israel and Palestine. [3]