00:00Israel faces a possible political deadlock as vote counting continues after Tuesday's general election.
00:07Exit polls and partial results put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc ahead,
00:12but short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Neset.
00:18With about 84% of ballot boxes counted, Netanyahu's bloc is projected to win 54 seats.
00:24The opposition bloc, led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, is projected to take 49,
00:30while Arab-led parties are on course for a combined 17.
00:35That could give Arab parties a decisive role in the coalition talks,
00:39although their support for either side is far from certain.
00:42No single party has ever won an outright majority in Israel.
00:46Forming a government requires negotiations between parties, and the process could take weeks.
00:51The election is widely seen as a test of Netanyahu's leadership
00:56following the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023,
01:00and Israel's subsequent war and genocide on Gaza.
01:03Voter turnout in Israel was a record high, at nearly 80%.
01:07Let's get started.
01:08You
