Netanyahu's future uncertain as votes trickle in

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's prospects for another term looked uncertain on Wednesday after partial results from a national election projected no clear path to victory.

Soraya Ali reports.

Results from Israel’s national election are still showing no clear winner.

And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, if successful, may have to form one of the most right-wing coalitions in recent history to secure another term... ... a move that would likely be at odds with the Democratic administration of U.S. President Joe Biden over issues such as Palestinian statehood and U.S. engagement with Iran.

Such a coalition for Netanyahu could be with a combination of conservative allies, ultra-Orthodox parties, ultra-nationalists, and Arab lawmakers.

Israel’s political deadlock has seen four elections in two years.

Yohanan Plesner from the Israel Democracy Institute says this may not be the last.

"If the final outcome will still indicate that we are within a deadlock situation, a fifth-round of election is for sure an option, but it is not necessarily the only outcome of the election, there are still a few other scenarios of minority government, either minority government lead by Netanyahu, or a minority government lead by a change coalition, or a government that will depend on some kind of combination of the factors." Netanyahu’s campaign for this election focused on Israel’s leading COVID-19 vaccination rollout, which is among the fastest in the world.

But some center-left parties -- which have now made a better showing than expected -- highlighted the long-standing corruption allegations against Netanyahu - which he denies - and accused him of mishandling the early months of the pandemic.