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Israel’s parliament deadlocked again as vote count nears end

COUNTING resumed in Israel today as this week’s election looked set to deliver another hung parliament.

With 93 per cent of votes counted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and allied parties looked to have won 52 seats, with parties opposed to him holding 57. Sixty-one are required for a majority in the Knesset.

The Joint List (Communist Party-led Hadash, the only Israeli party with a Jewish and Arab membership, and some Arab parties) looked to have won six seats, down from 15 at the last election. 

Four of the 15 had been lost already when the United Arab List or Ra’am broke away, saying it would be open to deals with Mr Netanyahu — a “red line” the Joint List leadership said it could not cross.

Ra’am was reported to have just crossed the threshold, winning four seats — prompting talk of its being a “kingmaker” in the hung parliament.

Ha’aretz reported that voter turnout was significantly reduced among Arab citizens.

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