Israel election count continues, Netanyahu bloc projected at 53 seats
More than 29,000 double‑envelope ballots, about 6 % of the total, have been counted, and the Central Elections Committee expects the remaining count to finish by the afternoon. Projections after regular ballots show Benjamin Netanyahu’s right‑religious bloc at 53 seats, Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition at 48 seats, and Arab‑led parties at 19 seats, leaving all three blocs short of the 61 seats needed for a majority. Voter turnout reached 77.7 %, the highest since 1999.