Israel Election Explainer: Winning the most seats doesn't mean winning the election. And tonight's exit polls show us exactly why. Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud is projected to be the largest party in the Knesset. But when you add up the seats won by parties that are willing to govern together, the picture gets much more complicated. Here's the breakdown (61 seats is the magic number to form a government): ➡️ Netanyahu's bloc: ~50 seats. These are parties generally aligned with Netanyahu and considered potential partners in his government. ➡️ The anti-Netanyahu bloc: ~53 seats. These are parties opposed to another Netanyahu government, although they don't necessarily agree on who should lead the country or what policies to pursue. ➡️ Arab-led parties (take that "apartheid"): 17 seats. These parties also oppose Netanyahu but are counted separately because they are not part of the main Zionist opposition bloc. Remember, 61 seats are needed to command a majority in Israel's 120-seat parliament. Neither of the two main blocs has enough seats to govern on its own. So what happens next? Once the official results are in, Israel's president consults with the elected parties and decides which member of parliament has the best chance of forming a government. That person gets the first opportunity to assemble a coalition. Netanyahu may get the first chance because Likud is projected to be the largest party, but that is not automatic. The president must consider who can actually assemble a majority. Then come the negotiations. Party leaders will bargain over who joins the government, what policies it pursues, and who gets which cabinet positions. And here's the twist: it's entirely possible that neither side will succeed and Israelis will hold another election.