Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's camp finished ahead of the opposition but remained well short of a majority, final results from Israel's general election showed Friday, setting the stage for

Israel election results leave Netanyahu short of a majority as Likud alleges voter fraud by Arab parties. Police and election officials reject claims of widespread irregularities.

Netanyahu's bloc secured 53 seats in Tuesday's election, with his largest rival only winning 48 seats. Neither leader has enough to form a government, coming short of the 61 seats needed for the majority in the 120-seat parliament.

Despite years of political baggage, the Israeli prime minister outperformed expectations, and his rivals, by playing on Jewish voters’ fears of Arab political power and potential security threats.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief rival, Gadi Eisenkot, have both fallen short of securing a parliamentary majority.

Benjamin Netanyahu alleges Israel's election was "stolen by Arab parties," demanding police investigate as Arab voter turnout hit record levels.

Herzog says Israel ‘must do everything possible to avoid another round of elections,' • Golan calls on opposition bloc to form gov’t with Ra'am, Joint List after record-high Arab voter turnout

With no clear winner in the Israeli elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can stay in power in the short term, while political parties work to form a coalition government.