With nearly all the votes counted, Likud led the way with 36 seats followed by Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party, with 33 seats. The Joint List, an umbrella group of Arab-led parties, finished third with 15 seats, an all-time high for them.

Israelis will choose between long-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former army chief of staff, Benny Gantz.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit's recommendations of fraud, bribery and breach of trust charges on Thursday concluded a two-year investigation into a range of corruption allegations against Netanyahu.