Jerusalem: Israel's prime minister convened his cabinet on Sunday after final election results showed Benjamin Netanyahu poised to win a fifth term.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with new cabinet ministers In opening remarks, Netanyahu referred to the Israeli spacecraft "Beresheet" that crashed into the moon moments before touchdown.
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A technical glitch triggered a "chain of events" that caused the spacecraft's engine to malfunction Thursday just 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) above the moon.
The Prime Minister added that Israel intend to launch a new mission named "Beresheet 2" soon.
Netanyahu's Likud party captured 36 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, compared to 35 seats for its main rival, the centrist Blue and White party lead by Benny Gantz.
He said the "people's decision to renew" the Likud's mandate was a result of his ministers' achievements in the past four years.
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Altogether, Likud and its traditional Jewish ultra-Orthodox and nationalist allies command a 65-55 majority in parliament, putting Netanyahu in position to head the next coalition government.
While ballots were still being counted, the Blue and White leaders officially conceded defeat on Wednesday, and vowed to fight the prime minister from the opposition.
