00:01Final results from Israel's pivotal legislative election this week showed there was no clear
00:07winner, with both of the two main blocs well short of a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
00:13Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc finished on 53 seats, while the opposition camp,
00:18led by the centrist Yashar party of rival Gadi Eisenkot, ended on 48.
00:24Arab parties emerged as potential kingmakers with historic gains, with a combined 19 seats for
00:30party groupings Ram and the Joint List. During the election campaign, Gadi Eisenkot said he would
00:36not govern with Arab parties, but some have voiced willingness to support the opposition as a minority
00:41coalition in order to bring down Netanyahu. Netanyahu has accused Arab parties of stealing
00:48the election, pushing claims that foreign funding had been used to influence voters.
00:53Ram party leader Mansour Abbas reportedly denied any wrongdoing and said he would welcome an
00:59investigation. The fragmented outcome sets the stage for difficult negotiations to form a
01:05government that could last weeks, with the prospect looming of another election if talks fail.
