00:00Benjamin Netanyahu will likely remain as Israel's caretaker prime minister after
00:05unexpectedly strong backing among Jewish voters. This despite his right-wing bloc losing its
00:10parliamentary majority. With nearly 86 percent of votes tallied Wednesday, October 28, Israel's
00:16three main broadcasters projected Netanyahu's bloc would win 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset,
00:22well ahead of the 48 for rival Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc.
00:26Parties representing Arab Israelis were projected to win an unprecedented 19 seats,
00:32leaving Eisenkot little realistic path to power without their broad backing.
00:36The results could still change as counting continues, but Eisenkot's bloc of anti-Netanyahu
00:40parties, ranging from the center-left to the hard-right, had fallen short of pre-election
00:44polls that forecast a tight race. Netanyahu would remain caretaker prime minister during any coalition
00:50negotiations and potentially until another election next year. While a caretaker government faces some
00:56constraints, experts say it retains powers, including over the war with Iran.
