Who can actually form Israel's next government after this deadlock?

Israel's Knesset has 120 seats. Exit polls give Eisenkot's bloc 53 and Netanyahu's coalition 50. A majority needs 61, and neither side reaches it. No party has ever won 61 alone, so coalition talks will decide, and final results could take days.

Turnout reached 74.3 percent of eligible voters, the highest in decades. Yossi Shain, a Tel Aviv University political scientist, says tens of thousands of Israelis who flew home from abroad could tip one or two seats, though those are only impressions until the count.

Arab-led parties are forecast to win 18 seats, a record for the sector, according to il Giornale. Sami Abu Shehadeh, leader of the Balad party, predicts record Arab turnout, and any bloc trying to oust Netanyahu would likely need Arab support. Netanyahu could stay on as caretaker while talks run.