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Yair Lapid 'rules out forming an anti-Netanyahu bloc' | Yair Lapid 'rules out forming an anti-Netanyahu bloc' |
(35 minutes later) | |
Yair Lapid has said he will not join any bloc aimed at preventing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from forming a new coalition government. | Yair Lapid has said he will not join any bloc aimed at preventing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from forming a new coalition government. |
"The outcome of the election is clear: we must work together," he said. | "The outcome of the election is clear: we must work together," he said. |
Mr Lapid's newly-formed Yesh Atid party shocked observers by coming second with 19 seats in Tuesday's election. | Mr Lapid's newly-formed Yesh Atid party shocked observers by coming second with 19 seats in Tuesday's election. |
Mr Netanyahu's Likud-Beitenu alliance lost a quarter of its seats in the Knesset, but remains the largest grouping with 31. | Mr Netanyahu's Likud-Beitenu alliance lost a quarter of its seats in the Knesset, but remains the largest grouping with 31. |
Coalition talks have begun in Israel after near-complete general election results gave right-wing and centre-left blocs 60 seats each in parliament. | Coalition talks have begun in Israel after near-complete general election results gave right-wing and centre-left blocs 60 seats each in parliament. |
Mr Netanyahu has offered to work with the newly-formed Yesh Atid party, a secular centrist party set up by Mr Lapid last year. | Mr Netanyahu has offered to work with the newly-formed Yesh Atid party, a secular centrist party set up by Mr Lapid last year. |
"I heard talk about establishing a preventative bloc - I want to take this option off the table," Mr Lapid said in a statement on Wednesday evening. | "I heard talk about establishing a preventative bloc - I want to take this option off the table," Mr Lapid said in a statement on Wednesday evening. |
Mr Lapid said earlier that he would only join a government that was committed to reviving the peace process with the Palestinians. | Mr Lapid said earlier that he would only join a government that was committed to reviving the peace process with the Palestinians. |
He has also demanded reform of a law under which ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students can defer their military service. Religious parties in the current governing coalition are strongly opposed to any changes. | |
'Broad government' | |
Although little-known abroad, Mr Lapid has already gained fame in Israel as a popular TV personality. | |
Pollsters had tipped his party to win about 12 seats. Instead Yesh Atid came second, ahead of the Labour party with 15. | |
Observers say forming a new coalition government will not be an easy task for Mr Netanyahu. | |
Addressing Likud supporters after preliminary results gave the right-wing bloc a one-seat parliamentary majority, the Israeli leader promised to form as "as broad a government as possible". | |
"It is an opportunity to make changes that the citizens of Israel wish upon themselves and that will serve all the citizens of Israel," he said. | |
On Wednesday morning, Israeli media reported that with 99.8% of votes counted, the joint electoral list of Mr Netanyahu's Likud party and the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu (Israel is our Home) party of his former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had won 31 seats. | |
That would be 11 seats fewer than the two parties' combined total from the last election. | |
The ultra-nationalist Habayit Hayehudi (Jewish Home), which rejects the notion of an independent Palestinian state, won 11 seats, as did the ultra-Orthodox religious Shas party. | |
The smaller ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party won seven, bringing the right-wing bloc's total to 60 of the 120 seats in the Knesset. | |
The centrist Hatnua (The Movement) grouping of former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni won six seats, as did the left-wing Meretz party. Kadima, which was the largest party in the last parliament, got just two. | |
The remaining 12 of the left-wing bloc's 60 seats went to Arab Israeli parties, but they are traditionally neither asked nor seek to join governing coalitions. |