TUESDAY’S Israeli general election — the fifth in just over three years — saw a win for the ultra-nationalist religious right, despite being widely reported as a dramatic return to power for former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

With votes still being counted today, the three partners in Mr Netanyahu’s future coalition — the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism UTJ, the Sephardi Orthodox Shas party, and the Religious Zionism alliance — are set to win 33 seats between them, one more than Mr Netanyahu’s Likud.

Likud, once untouchable in its dominance of right-wing politics in Israel, will be a minority within its own bloc of 65 out of the 120 seats in the Knesset. 

The election took place during what the United Nations humanitarian office said looks set to be the “deadliest year” since it began to count fatalities in the occupied West Bank in 2005.

So far this year, at least 74 people are reported to have been killed at the hands of Israeli authorities.

Regardless of the Knesset’s composition, Palestinians are not expecting any respite from Israel’s policies of violence, expulsion and settlement expansion. 

Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, said: “Results of the latest Israeli election are a shock and surprise only to people who have been in deep denial — or who haven’t been paying attention.”

Ines Abdel Razek, advocacy director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy, tweeted: “Probably a hangover morning today for Israeli-allied foreign capitals who’ve lost Lapid as the pretty pc face of apartheid and colonialism. 

“This new election will test further their political hypocrisy and mental gymnastics to justify doing absolutely nothing to hold Israel accountable.”