Jerusalem, 29 October (H.S.): The results of Israel’s parliamentary elections have dashed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s immediate hopes, although his Likud party has emerged as the single largest party. Likud is now pinning its hopes on the possibility that double-envelope ballots could significantly improve its position. Reports earlier on Wednesday said the counting of these ballots had begun.

According to a report by The Times of Israel, the Central Elections Committee announced that the counting of double-envelope ballots was under way. These ballots are primarily cast by Israel Defence Forces (IDF) personnel, prisoners, medical professionals, civilians facing health-related difficulties and Israeli representatives stationed abroad.

The committee also clarified that the counting and processing of ordinary ballots had not yet been completed. Of the 12,018 regular polling stations, results from 11,712 had been processed, covering 5,126,759 voters. Standard verification procedures were still under way for the remaining polling stations, the committee said.

Meanwhile, Channel 13 reported that Ido Norden, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s acting chief of staff, was being removed from his position. According to the report, Netanyahu was dissatisfied with his performance, and Norden had reportedly been excluded from meetings as the Prime Minister sought a replacement.

The Prime Minister’s Office, however, issued a statement dismissing the report as “incorrect”.

Norden had replaced Ziv Agmon in April. Agmon, who served as both spokesperson and chief of staff, stepped down following a controversy after disparaging remarks attributed to him about Likud lawmakers of Mizrahi origin were leaked to the press. Norden has also authored a book on what he describes as Israel’s so-called “deep state”.

Meanwhile, the Arab-led Joint List party has declared its willingness to engage in political cooperation to remove Netanyahu’s government from power.

The party is projected to win 12 seats, potentially making it the third-largest party in the Knesset. However, most opposition parties led by Jewish politicians have ruled out joining forces with the Joint List to form a coalition.

In a statement, the party said, “Our people understand the significance of this moment and turned out in large numbers to vote. The Joint List will make every possible effort to end Netanyahu’s rule. We are prepared to engage in political cooperation to form an alternative government that offers a genuine alternative and is committed to completely reversing the current government’s racist policies.”

Earlier, Joint List chairman Yousef Jabarin told Channel 13, “Anyone who wants to present a substantive and genuine alternative to Netanyahu’s blood-soaked government must engage in dialogue with us. Only by doing so can we pave the way for the change the Israeli public has been eagerly seeking.”

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar