Israel political deadlock leaves Netanyahu’s future hanging in the balance

Israel’s election results are due to be certified on Wednesday, but with both leading blocs falling short of a parliamentary majority, negotiations remain deadlocked. As things stand, the right-wing coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured 53 seats in the October 27 vote, while the self-styled Zionist opposition alliance led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot had 48. A majority requires 61 seats in the 120-strong Knesset. The 19 remaining seats went to the two Arab-led lists – the Joint List and Ra’am, or the United Arab List.