Israel's president urges 'open mind' as election rivals struggle for majority

Israel's recent election featured the highest voter turnout in decades and included historic gains by Arab parties. According to France 24, Benjamin Netanyahu received his worst election result since 1999, though the long-serving prime minister still has a path to remaining in power as ballot counting continues. Haaretz reports that Arab voters have provided the opposition with a historic opportunity to unseat Netanyahu, suggesting a Jewish-Arab government could work to heal the country.

The election results followed recent sanctions and bans from Britain and some allies targeting Israeli settlements. The Jerusalem Post notes that British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced these measures on September 8, stating the policy was directed at the Netanyahu government's policies rather than the Israeli people. While some British MPs expressed concern that the timing of the sanctions might benefit far-right campaigns, Miliband maintained that the international community could not wait for an opposition government to implement changes.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, Jerusalem Post, Haaretz — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.