The Israeli Elections Committee continued counting votes on Thursday from envelopes cast by voters authorized to vote outside their assigned polling stations.
Israelis waited for final election results to confirm what they see taking shape: No majority of parliament seats for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies, or for the array of parties seeking to unseat him, including Arab-led ones.
Final results could come as early as Thursday evening after about a half-million absentee ballots are counted from military personnel, diplomats, people in prisons and hospitals, and others.
They are not expected to sway the results dramatically.
Local media projected 53 parliament seats for Netanyahu’s bloc, 48 seats for opposition parties and 19 for Arab-led ones, which also want Netanyahu out.
Next week, Israel’s president will task someone with forming the next government.
It has traditionally been the leader of the party with the most votes, but that’s not required.
If a new government cannot be formed after multiple attempts, Israel would face a new election early next year.
While many Israelis voted with security issues first in mind, the country’s international standing is also at stake after widespread criticism over the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and growing violence by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank.
