It was all so "unexpected."
Going into Tuesday's parliamentary elections, the coalition led by current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to end up slightly behind the anti-Netanyahu coalition led by former Israeli chief of the general staff, Gadi Eisenkot.
With more than 77% of the vote counted as of Wednesday morning, analysts projected Netanyahu's conservative bloc to win 54 seats to the Eisenkot bloc's 49.
This means both blocs will almost certainly fall short of the 61 seats needed to win an outright majority in parliament. It also means intense negotiations over the next several weeks, as both bloc leaders will likely be asked to form a coalition government with a doubtful chance of success.
Netanyahu faced a similar problem after the last election and was able to cobble together a coalition that included several small, ultra-Orthodox parties. It's unknown if he can pull a political rabbit out of a hat again, given his ambiguous position on drafting orthodox seminary students and the feeling of some in the orthodox community that he has betrayed them.
Israel's Supreme Court became involved, ruling that the government could not continue certain exemption arrangements without a proper legal framework, increasing pressure on the government to act.
As a result, ultra-Orthodox leaders sometimes accused Netanyahu of failing to secure a permanent exemption law despite his promises. From their perspective, he had not delivered on a core demand. On the other hand, opponents argued that he was already doing too much to protect the exemptions.
So when people say Netanyahu may have "betrayed" the ultra-Orthodox parties, they usually mean he straddled the issue most important to the Haredim.
Analysts include the orthodox parties siding with Netanyahu in calculations about the new government because the orthodox bloc has nowhere else to go.
Both blocs will be tempted to take advantage of a huge increase in seats won by the Israeli Arab bloc. With 19 seats won, the Arabs are potential kingmakers.
But historically, the Arabs have been excluded from coalition politics. In the past, this suited them well, as it allowed them to float depending on the issue at hand.
But that may change. In 2021, the Arab party Ra'am made history by joining a governing coalition led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. This was the first time an independent Arab party became a formal member of a governing coalition, showing that participation is possible, even if still controversial.
Major Jewish parties continue to debate whether and how to cooperate with them in forming a government.
The prospect of a unity government involving Netanyahu and Eisenkot has appeared unlikely, as Eisenkot has rejected serving under Netanyahu, including in a rotation government. Other opposition leaders have also ruled out joining a coalition led by the prime minister.
Eisenkot has called for the leader of the largest party in the opposition bloc to become its candidate for prime minister, though no agreement on the arrangement has been announced within the bloc.
The exit polls also raised the possibility of a minority government that could win a Knesset confidence vote without holding an absolute majority of 61 seats. However, opposition within the bloc to relying on Arab parties could complicate such an arrangement.
The political deadlock could ultimately lead to another election, although the parties may still reach an agreement through coalition negotiations.
The wheeling and dealing will be intense. If Eisenkot tries to recruit some Arab Knesset members to reach the magic number of 61, he risks other Israelis, especially more conservative ones, abandoning his bloc.
Netanyahu has the advantage. He will play for time and hope President Isaac Herzog eventually gives up on forming a government and calls for new elections. In the meantime, Netanyahu will be free to cooperate with the U.S. in another attack on Iran after the U.S. midterm elections.
I think my cat Yanqui wants to ask Netanyahu if he can borrow a few of his "lives." The man is the ultimate political survivor and will continue to lead Israel until the people decide on a change.
That time is not yet.
Recommended: Democrats Are Preparing the Mother of All Election Denials If the Midterms Isn't a Blowout