Middle East

Israeli PM Netanyahu's Party Falls Short Of Parliamentary Majority

The Israeli prime minister's party and its allies managed to get 58 seats — just shy of the 61 needed to form a government.

Israeli PM Netanyahu's Party Falls Short Of Parliamentary Majority
Atef Safadi / AP
SMS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again fallen short of the parliamentary majority needed to form a coalition.

Although his Likud Party and its allies managed to win a combined 58 seats in the Knesset — the most of any party — he was just shy of the 61 needed to form a government. Netanyahu's chief rival Benny Gantz's Blue and White Party and his allies came in second with a combined 55 seats. 

This is Israel's third general election in less than a year, and unless Gantz and Netanyahu can agree to a power-sharing unity government, it looks like the country could be headed toward a fourth.

Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, was formally indicted last year on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. His trial is set to begin on March 17.