Netanyahu cancels UN visit after failure to secure majority in poll

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled on Wednesday a trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, a gathering he usually attends to advance Israeli interests.

His office said he will not attend the event next week, during which he was supposed to meet U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss a "mutual defense treaty" between Israel and the United States.

The office did not say whether the meeting will be held on a different date.

The cancellation came a day after the Israeli parliamentary elections, in which Netanyahu, the country's longest-serving prime minister, failed to secure a majority, casting doubts on his long dominance in Israeli politics.

On Wednesday evening, the Israeli Central Elections Committee said that after counting almost 91 percent of the votes, Netanyahu's main challenger, Benny Gantz and his centrist Blue and White party, won 32 seats in the 120-seat parliament. Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party won 31 seats.

Both Netanyahu and Gantz, a former military chief, did not secure enough votes to immediately form a majority coalition, opening the door for lengthy coalition negotiations.