Israel: Vote Count Leaves Both Camps Short of 61 Seats

Israel faces an extended period of coalition negotiations after initial election results failed to grant either major political bloc a governing majority.

With approximately 70% of the vote counted, a figure representing roughly four million ballots, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp secured 54 seats in the Knesset. The opposition bloc led by former General Gadi Eisenkot held 47 seats. Palestinian parties currently occupy 19 seats. A stable government requires a minimum of 61 seats.

Netanyahu, the nation's longest-serving leader, stated he intends to form a coalition by negotiating with his Likud party, far-right groups, and Jewish religious parties. Eisenkot claimed earlier that voters chose change and argued that Netanyahu should announce his retirement from public life.

The electoral success of Palestinian parties aligns with record turnout among Israeli citizens of Palestinian descent, a group comprising about 20% of the population. Julian Borger, reporting from Nazareth, noted that Eisenkot must cooperate with Arab-Israeli leaders to form a viable administration. Millions of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip do not have voting rights in this election.

In other international news, US President Donald Trump announced that his administration is ending Biden-era regulations that required oil and gas companies to account for large methane leaks. The Environmental Protection Agency projects this change will save consumers and businesses $45 billion. The United States emitted more methane from its oil and gas sector than any other country last year, a gas responsible for at least a quarter of current global warming.

In Brazil, far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro reportedly departed for the United States after losing the presidential election to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Allies told the news website Metrópoles that he would land in Florida to seek political asylum. Federal police are investigating his potential involvement in a money-laundering scheme worth approximately £680 million ($905 million) involving betting companies. President Lula described the departure as shameful.

Spain reported at least 30 deaths in a high-speed train collision south of Madrid, marking the country's second such disaster this year following a January crash that killed 46 people. In southern Ukraine, a local ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky appeared stable, with both sides pausing drone strikes ahead of an evacuation for about 2,000 civilians. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia must stop prolonging the war.