Israeli election produces deadlock with no clear governing majority

Israeli voters went to the polls this week, with 77% of people casting a ballot. But the result has left the country without a clear winner. Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party won the most seats, but it does not have enough support to govern alone. The opposing bloc also fell short of a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Arab parties took around 15% of the vote, and far-right parties won about 10%. In Israel, no single party has ever governed alone. Parties must form coalitions, and any party needs at least four seats to enter parliament. Talks about military service rules for ultra-Orthodox Jews are expected to make coalition negotiations harder. New elections are now seen as a likely outcome.