Israel officially announces election results, confirming opposition majority

JERUSALEM -- Israel's Central Elections Committee officially announced the results of last week's parliamentary election on Wednesday, confirming that opposition parties won 67 seats in the 120-member parliament, against 53 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling bloc.

The opposition's 67 seats include 48 won by parties aligned with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party and 19 by the Arab-led parties, namely the Joint List, a coalition of three parties, and the Muslim Ra'am party.

Neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot has the 61 seats needed to form a majority government without support from outside their respective blocs.

Central Elections Committee Chairman and Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg presented the results to President Isaac Herzog. Under Israeli law, Herzog would begin consultations with political parties on Wednesday evening to determine which lawmaker should be tasked with forming the next government.

Herzog urged the parties to compromise on their election promises to avoid another election and enable the formation of a stable government. "In the current reality, in which there is no clear winner after the election, I ask for originality and creativity, courage and goodwill," he said.

The committee approved the results despite an ongoing investigation into suspected foreign interference. Sohlberg said the allegations remained unproven and did not justify delaying the announcement.

"In recent days, voices have emerged seeking to cast doubt on the election results and challenge their validity. This is a real danger," Sohlberg said, stressing that the election had been conducted properly and the results reflected the will of voters.