Israel's election ends without a majority: Netanyahu bloc 53, Eisenkot camp 48, Arab parties 19

Israel faces weeks or months of coalition bargaining after the final count from Tuesday's general election left no camp with a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc won 53 seats, according to final figures from the Central Elections Committee reported by The Times of Israel and ABC News. The opposition camp led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48, and Arab-led parties won 19. A government needs 61 seats. The pro-Netanyahu parties held 68 seats in the outgoing Knesset.

The party picture

Likud remains the largest party with 27 seats, followed by Eisenkot's Yashar with 21, according to The Times of Israel. B'Yachad won 12, the Joint List 11, and The Democrats and Ra'am eight each. Yisrael Beytenu, United Torah Judaism and Otzma Yehudit took seven each, and Shas and Religious Zionism six each. Turnout was 77.9%, the highest in decades.

Earlier counts had put the Joint List at 12 and Ra'am at seven; the final tally shifted one seat between them.

Fraud claims rejected

Likud has accused Arab-led parties of having "stolen" the election, possibly with foreign help, Al Jazeera reported, without offering evidence. The committee's chair, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, passed what he called serious suspicions of foreign interference to the Shin Bet security service for investigation, while saying he could not verify them.

The committee's acting director general, Dean Livne, said reports of a stolen election were "entirely unfounded" and that any inquiry would not affect the final results. Police have also said there is no basis for the claims, The Times of Israel reported.

Netanyahu, in his post-election speech, said a government that relied on Arab parties would "endanger Israel", ABC News reported.

What happens next

The official results are due to be presented to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday, after which he will consult party leaders on who should be asked to form a government. Herzog has urged politicians to avoid another election. The new Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on November 10.

Eisenkot has met Naftali Bennett and Yair Golan, and Golan has held talks with Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas, Al Jazeera reported. Ra'am's leader has said a minority government is unlikely. Coalition talks are expected to be difficult and could last more than two months.