Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu comeback brings despair for leftwing parties

Outgoing coalition suffers poor election result as some parties of the left lose voice in Knesset altogether

Israel's leftwing and pro-Arab-rights parties have been left licking their wounds in the aftermath of this week's election. When vote-counting finished on Thursday, the former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right partners had won by a comfortable majority.

Last summer a broad coalition succeeded in their mutual desire to kick Netanyahu, leader of Likud, out of office. He is currently standing trial on corruption charges.