Arab parties hold key to Israel vote as oil nears $115

“Arab parties hold key to Israel vote as oil nears $115”

Dubai: Israel’s election has produced no clear winner, and a record Arab vote now sits at the centre of coalition talks. With 85.6 percent of votes counted, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc holds 53 seats, Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc 48 and the Arab parties 19. A majority needs 61 of 120 seats. Late double-envelope ballots could still shift the count. Why do the different blocs matter? Netanyahu’s bloc groups Likud, the largest single party, with right-wing and ultra-Orthodox allies. Eisenkot…