Israel's new parliament to be sworn in as leaders compete to form government

Key Points:

• Former army chief Benny Gantz was tasked with forming a government after receiving the backing of 67 Knesset members, surpassing Netanyahu's 46 supporters, but faces challenges as his bloc won only 48 seats compared to Netanyahu's 53, both short of a majority.
• The election saw a record number of Arab-led party seats (19), with these parties potentially holding the balance of power, although Netanyahu and some of Gantz's allies oppose including them in a coalition.
• Gantz proposed forming a government based on four principles, including recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, mandatory service for all communities, and recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization, but these are contentious issues for Arab parties and ultra-Orthodox factions.
• The ultra-Orthodox parties, which won 13 seats, strongly oppose changes to military conscription exemptions, complicating coalition negotiations, especially since Gantz's bloc supports such reforms.
• Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister and has called for a national unity government under his leadership, while coalition talks could extend over days or months amid political uncertainty.