Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Wednesday that despite Tuesday's election results ending without a clear winner, he was determined to block the Left from forming a "dangerous government" with the Arab parties.
Likud and Blue and White got roughly the same amount of seats on Tuesday. This means Blue and White and its left-wing allies have 56 seats, compared to the 55 Likud has with its right-wing allies.
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Despite the overall advantage, the Center-Left is unlikely to get a majority of the Knesset to support it without Avigdor Lieberman's party, Yisrael Beytenu, which has vowed it would only sit in a unity government rather than support any ideological bloc.
If Lieberman joins the Left to form a government, this would mean that the Joint Arab List would have to be part of the arrangement and vote with it during confidence votes. This, Netanyahu has warned repeatedly, would ensure that the government would not pursue Zionist policies.
"There are only two options: my government or a dangerous government based on the Arab parties," Netanyahu said at a faction meeting, hinting that Israel might soon have to deal with major national security developments.
"More than ever before, in light of the challenges we face, we must not let the Left form a government that relies on the anti-Zionist Arab parties," Netanyahu said. He added: "With God's help, we will create a stable government."
