Final Israeli Election Results: Likud Loses Seat, but Netanyahu Still Set to Form Next Government

A final count of the votes cast in last week's election released Tuesday gave Likud one less seat than in previously published results, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still set to form the next government after 64 lawmakers recommended that he build a coalition.

Likud ended up with 35 seats, as did Kahol Lavan, the party led by Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid.

United Torah Judaism gained a seat compared to last week's results, putting its final count at eight. The rest of the parties held on to the same number of seats: Shas with eight, Hadash-Ta'al with six, Labor with six, Yisrael Beiteinu with five, Union of Right-Wing Parties with five, and four each for Meretz, Balad-United Arab List and Kulanu.

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Naftali Bennett's Hayamin Hehadash party came 1,495 votes short of reaching the electoral threshold and will not be represented in the next Knesset.

Bennett and Ayelet Shaked's party underwent a political rollercoaster when it was announced by the Central Election Committee that it had passed the electoral threshold.

However, later data suggested that the party didn't get enough votes to join the Knesset.

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President Reuven Rivlin is expected to task Netanyahu with forming the next government after a majority of 64 lawmakers recommended the premier to build the next coalition.

Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman said Monday that he would only join a government led by Netanyahu if the bill making military service mandatory for ultra-Orthodox men was passed by the Knesset.

Once Rivlin announces his decision, Netanyahu will have 28 days to form a government. Should an extension be required, the president may approve an additional 14 days.

Turnout in the Arab community was one of the lowest in history. Netanyahu's Likud party provided activists with 1,200 hidden cameras "to monitor" Arab polling stations — a move that prompted Israel's Central Elections Committee to file a police complaint