The final tally in Israel’s election has slightly altered exit poll predictions, increasing by one the total seats allocated to the Jewish Home party (now at 12) and adding to the Knesset the centrist Kadima party. The latter secured sufficient votes to pass Israel’s minimum threshold to enter the Knesset and will have two seats. Meanwhile incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose Likud-Beiteinu slate topped the balloting and will have 31 seats, has begun reaching out to potential coalition partners. The second-place Yesh Atid group, which will have 19 seats and which is led by former journalist Yair Lapid, had declared that it will condition joining a coalition on Netanyahu committing to restarting peace talks with the Palestinians and integrating Israel’s ultra-orthodox and Arab minorities into the country’s armed forces.

[Photo: The Israel Project / Flickr]