Jerusalem Daily: What’s next after Israel’s elections?

Israel's election has ended without a clear winner, leaving two rival leaders to claim victory while the count continues. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot have both presented themselves as the victorious side, according to Al Jazeera's Jerusalem Daily report, even though no bloc had secured an outright result.

The uncertainty makes coalition-building the decisive next stage. A majority in the Knesset requires 61 seats, a threshold no single party has reached on its own, so parties will need to negotiate alliances. Arab-majority parties are projected to win a record number of seats, a result that could make them important to any government that tries to assemble a working majority.

Under Israel's system, the president, whose role is largely symbolic, nominates a candidate to try to form a government. The report notes that the scenarios remain open: a leader could attempt a minority government, seek support from parties outside a formal coalition, or see rival blocs strike unexpected deals. None of those paths is settled while the final results are awaited.

Security and the cost of living are among the pressing issues facing whoever takes charge, and the future direction of policy toward Gaza and the West Bank will also be closely watched.

The report stresses that Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza do not vote in Israel's elections, even though they are deeply affected by the outcome. It also notes that, for many of them, daily life did not pause for the vote, citing reported raids, detentions and settler violence in the West Bank and firing off the Gaza coast during the election period.