Netanyahu's Bloc Falls Short, Forcing High-Stakes Coalition Talks
With 53 seats against 48 for the opposition, Israel enters a fragile period where Arab-led parties hold the balance of power in the 120-seat Knesset.
By Madison Lewis ·
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political alliance has lost its majority in the Israeli parliament, triggering a complex and urgent search for a governing coalition. The final results from Tuesday’s election, released early Friday morning, show Netanyahu’s bloc securing 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. The main opposition bloc captured 48 seats, while Arab-led parties won 19, marking a historic increase in their representation. To form a stable government, parties must now assemble a coalition of at least 61 members.
Netanyahu remains in his current role until a new government is formed. He is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. Yair Lapid, a centrist politician, posted on X that the difficult phase of negotiations has begun. He asked the Israeli public for patience as various factions attempt to bridge deep ideological divides.
The path to a government is fraught with political tension. The main opposition parties campaigned vigorously to remove Netanyahu from power. They now face a decision on whether to partner with the Arab-led parties, a move that has only occurred once briefly in 2021. Alternatively, they may abandon their campaign vows to join Netanyahu in a potentially unstable unity government. It was not immediately clear which leaders would begin meeting with whom as Shabbat approached.
In the hours before the final counts were published, Netanyahu and his Likud party promoted allegations that Arab-led parties had stolen the election, possibly with foreign aid. The opposition accused Netanyahu of demonizing the Arab population, which comprises 20 percent of the country and turned out to vote in high numbers. This turnout was driven in part by dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s far-right allies, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Ben-Gvir’s party lost seats in the election.
Netanyahu stated on X that forming a coalition with Arab parties is forbidden. Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who heads the election committee, told the Shin Bet security agency that serious suspicions of foreign interference had been raised. He asked the agency to investigate but noted he could not verify the claims. Israeli media reported that Likud members pointed to Qatar as a possible source of interference. Qatar called the allegations ridiculous and dangerous.
Dean Livne, the acting director general of the election commission, said the investigation is based on classified intelligence. He stated that the reports of the investigation are entirely unfounded and do not affect the final results. The committee told a concerned member of parliament that allegations of systematic violations of electoral integrity are baseless. The Shin Bet has said its investigation is not meant to cast aspersions on a section of the population that voted in a lawful manner.
The new Knesset is expected to be sworn in on November 10. If Eisenkot’s bloc joins forces with the Arab parties, they could elect a new speaker and control the parliamentary agenda. This would allow them to advance legislation before a new government is formed. If coalition talks fail, Israel faces a new election early next year. President Isaac Herzog has said he will work to avoid that outcome. A loss for Netanyahu would trigger proceedings on his corruption charges and an inquiry into the security failures preceding the October 7, 2023, attack.
