Government leaders
Netanyahu bloc leads after half of Israeli votes counted but no majority
The camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ahead of his rival's opposition bloc but still short of a majority on Wednesday after 50 percent of votes were counted in Israel's pivotal general election. Voters turned out in the highest numbers in decades to give their verdict on Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister who has pushed the country sharply to the right and unleashed a wave of wars in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.