In Israel, preliminary election results showed that incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc remained short of a parliamentary majority as counting of votes continued. According to Israeli media reports, citing the Central Elections Committee, 93 per cent of ballot boxes had been counted, with Netanyahu’s bloc projected to win 53 seats, against 48 for the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. Arab-led parties were projected to secure 19 seats. The figures are provisional and could change as counting progresses. The CEC said the remaining seven per cent of ordinary ballots required additional oversight. A total of 61 seats are required for a majority in the 120-member Knesset.