Israel count finished: Netanyahu short of majority, attacks Arab parties

All votes in Israel's election have now been counted, and Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc has fallen short of a majority, according to Al Jazeera. It reports that opposition parties could join forces with Palestinian-Israeli parties to unseat him. Al Jazeera also reports that Netanyahu has attacked those parties.

The last seat figures in the reports come from The Guardian, at 91% counted. They put Netanyahu's bloc at 53 seats and Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc at 48. Palestinian parties were on track for a record 19. Fox News says the opposition plus the Arab parties would make a 67-seat bloc. The Guardian said the final count was unlikely to shift results much. The reports do not give final seat totals.

The BBC and The Guardian both say neither main bloc can form a government without the Arab parties. The Guardian says Eisenkot, a retired general, must either make a pact with them or leave Netanyahu an opening through new elections or a unity government.

Earlier, Eisenkot declared victory for what he called a "Zionist majority". The Guardian said he appeared to rule out a broad coalition with Palestinian parties, and called the declaration premature. Coalition talks within his bloc are set to begin, according to The Guardian. Fox News says Israel faces three possible paths to a new government.