The formation of a government and who will appoint the future Prime Minister is still uncertain. (dpa)

An alliance of Arab parties say they are ready to pave the way for the replacement of the right-wing religious government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. United List leader Yussef Jabarin said the day after the parliamentary election: "The government of Netanyahu and (far-right Police Minister Itamar) Ben-Gvir has made the life of every Arab citizen hell."

Around a fifth of Israel's population is Arab. Most are descendants of those Palestinians who remained in the country after the founding of Israel and the 1948 war. As Israeli citizens, they also have the right to vote. However, their close family and cultural ties to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank cause suspicion among parts of the Jewish population. In Israeli politics there is a kind of “firewall” between right-wing Jewish parties and Arab parties. Some see them as a Palestinian fifth column. (dpa)

After the parliamentary election in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing religious bloc has consolidated its lead after around 66 percent of the votes were counted. However, the camp does not reach a clear majority. According to Israeli media reports, there are currently 54 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, while the opposing camp of ex-military chief Gadi Eisenkot has 48 seats. 61 seats would be needed for a majority.

Netanyahu's Likud party was reportedly the strongest force with 27 seats in parliament. Behind them is the center party Jaschar von Eisenkot, which has 21 seats. As things currently stand, the Arab parties have a total of 18 seats. Eisenkot would have to rely on the support of Arab parties to form a government, which several opposition parties have so far rejected. Netanyahu, meanwhile, called for the formation of a strong right-wing government without the participation of Arab parties. (dpa)

The leader of the left-liberal Democrats in Israel, Jair Golan, called for the formation of a coalition with the Arab parties after the election. The right-wing conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost, said Golan, according to his office. Overall, the opposition has more votes than Netanyahu's right-wing religious camp.

“We have no future here if we don’t stop being afraid,” said the Democratic leader. "And if we don't put an end to racism. We can no longer accept Netanyahu's racist distinction between Jewish and Arab voices." Anyone who tries to erase the voices of Arab citizens is capitulating to Netanyahu and giving up on Israel.

“In Netanyahu’s camp are 16 Knesset members from non-Zionist ultra-Orthodox parties who advocate mass refusal to serve in the military while our children fight and die,” Golan said. “We won’t let them lecture us about Zionism.”

He called on the opposition to “form together with the Arab citizens of Israel a government of change – a government that serves all Israeli citizens.” He appealed to the other members of the camp around ex-military chief Gadi Eisenkot: "What we need now is courage. We need leadership. We have to stop being afraid and finally start acting." (dpa)

US President Donald Trump stressed the importance of his support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Israel's parliamentary election. “I think when the support became known, it helped him a lot,” Trump said on Wednesday, referring to Netanyahu, to reporters on board the presidential plane Air Force One. Trump had backed Netanyahu several times before the election, and both are considered close allies. (afp)

In the parliamentary election in Israel, after half of all ballot papers have been counted, according to official information, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is ahead of the opposition bloc. According to the Israeli Election Commission on Wednesday, Netanyahu's Likud party and its allies have 56 of the 120 seats in parliament after counting 50.1 percent of the ballots. The opposition alliance under Gadi Eisenkot has 49 seats, the Arab Israelis' lists have 15.

On election night, Netanyahu declared in Jerusalem that the right-wing bloc with his Likud party had a clear and decisive majority “among the Jewish population and among all those who support the state.” He called for a “right-wing, national, strong government” and warned of a possible alliance between opponents and the Arab parties, which he accused of having an anti-Israel stance.

Editor's note: This article is continually updated.