Israel Election Too Close To Call With Netanyahu Leading

Israel's general election is sitting on a knife-edge after voters turned out in record numbers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in a tight race with his top rival Gadi Eisenkot, a center-right former military chief of staff. Israelis went to bed thinking Eisenkot had the advantage. By morning, Netanyahu pulled ahead with a slender lead. One source notes Netanyahu's bloc is projected to win fifty-five seats while Eisenkot trails on forty-nine. Final vote tallies may take time. Election officials expect to finish counting votes by tomorrow afternoon. Neither candidate has a clear path to a majority coalition in the parliament. Netanyahu claims the right-wing bloc has a clear majority among the Jewish public. Eisenkot argues the public has chosen change and called Netanyahu's group a coalition of failure. Eisenkot could gain support from Arab-led parties, but his camp is hesitant due to mistrust following the October seventh attacks. Whoever is tasked with forming the government will have six weeks according to one source, or twenty-eight days with a possible fourteen-day extension according to another.