Israeli voters have expressed a sense of disappointment after Tuesday's election ended in a political deadlock with no clear front-runner emerging, with the onus now expected to fall on the country's Arab parties to determine who could form the next government.
The hard-fought parliamentary election pitted incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- Israel's longest-serving leader with nearly 19 years in office across multiple different terms -- against opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief.
The Central Elections Committee published the final results early on Friday morning, showing Netanyahu's right-wing coalition bloc has slumped to 53 seats -- down from its previous tally of 68 -- while the opposition seats include 48 won by parties aligned with Eisenkot and 19 by Arab parties.
Crucially, neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot has won the 61 seats needed to form a majority government in the 120-member parliament without the support of the Arab parties.
The unclear outcome is a bitter one for many, especially for those who made major efforts to promote change, including the tens of thousands of voters who had arrived from abroad to cast their ballot.
"Right after the elections, what I felt is disappointment. After all that has happened here in the past few years and the huge failures of government, I expected the public to take a stronger stand and to hold the government responsible for the huge suffering that the country went through," said Doron, who traveled from Switzerland in order to vote.
Israel now faces a period of yet more political uncertainty, with analysts pointing to several possible scenarios, including prolonged coalition negotiations, a unity government or even another round of elections.
In theory, Eisenkot could form a coalition if he brings in the Arab parties which enjoyed major success at the polling stations. However, Eisenkot himself, along with other party leaders in his bloc, have vowed not to rely on their support.
Many Israelis, however, believe that the inclusion of the Arab parties is the only feasible way forward.
"They [should be] including the Arabic population in the government or in the coalition and make the changes, because they are citizens here and for me, they are even better than the anti-Zionist groups that are active in Israel," said Rivi, a voter living in Tel Aviv.
At the current impasse, one other option that has been mooted is the possibility of Eisenkot and Netanyahu forming a unity government. But many voters remain reluctant to embrace this proposal.
"I believe that unity is great, but unity with whom? Unity with Netanyahu, I believe, is impossible, because he proved time and time again that he cannot be trusted," said Doron.
While vote counted has concluded, the Central Elections Committee said the results will only be made official on Nov 4 after a review.
Israeli voters express disappointment as uncertainty swirls following election deadlock
Israeli voters express disappointment as uncertainty swirls following election deadlock
