Netanyahu claims mandate, seeks national government excluding Arab majority parties
Israel just had elections, but things are still up in the air.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his Likud party has a strong mandate and wants to form a "broad national government," but he's made it clear he won't include Arab-majority parties, accusing them of not recognizing Israel and supporting terrorism.
Neither side has enough seats for a majority, so the political puzzle continues.
President Herzog starts talks November 4
The opposition is backing Gadi Eisenkot as its pick for prime minister and is trying to show a united front, even though it's split on working with Arab parties.
President Herzog will start talks on November 4 to see who can actually pull together enough support by November 11.
Whoever gets the chance will have just 28 days (maybe 42 if extended) to build a coalition, so expect more twists ahead.