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I'll Be BACK |
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to fend off a
strong challenge from the country's opposition leader in parliamentary
elections Tuesday, emerging from an acrimonious campaign in a slightly
better position to form Israel's next government.
But with the
sides nearly evenly divided, a victory by Netanyahu's Likud Party still
was not guaranteed. His chief rival, Isaac Herzog of the Zionist Union,
said he would make "every effort" to form a government, and an upstart
centrist party led by a former Netanyahu ally-turned-rival was set to be
the kingmaker. The country now heads into what could be weeks of
negotiations over the makeup of the next coalition.
Both Netanyahu
and Herzog will now compete for a chance to form a coalition that
commands a majority in the 120-seat parliament, a daunting task in
Israel's fractured political landscape.
Netanyahu appeared to have a
better chance of cobbling together a government with right-wing and
religious parties that he calls his "natural allies." Herzog would have
to appeal to more ideologically diverse parties.
Read more: Israel's Netanyahu Emerges With Slight Edge After Tight Race