Netanyahu Trying to Form Coalition Government

After winning narrow victory

Israeli politicians have started negotiating over the shape of their next government after prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud party won a narrower-than-expected victory in parliamentary elections on Tuesday.

His party, along with its allies in the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party, took 31 of 120 seats, according to a near-final tally of votes. That makes it the single-biggest bloc, despite losing 11 of its previous seats.

In a brief statement on Wednesday, Netanyahu promised that the next government will focus chiefly on socioeconomic issues.