Israel election results live: count of absentee ballots under way as coalition talks set to begin
Hello and welcome to our continuing coverage of the Israeli election.
TL;DR
- Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc projected to receive 53 seats, falling short of a majority.
- Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc projected to receive 48 seats.
- Palestinian parties projected to win a record 19 seats.
- No grouping reached the 61 seats required for a majority, leading to potential weeks of uncertainty.
- Coalition talks are set to commence, with Yair Golan of the Democrats signaling willingness to work with Palestinian parties.
- Yousef Jabareen of the Joint List stated a willingness to cooperate to oust Netanyahu but not to join a coalition outright.
- Israel's financial markets reacted negatively to the election results.
- UN rights chief Volker Turk hopes the next Israeli government will respect international law.