Israel Parliament: Netanyahu's Bloc Falls Short of Majority

Israel’s electoral results confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost his parliamentary majority in Tuesday’s election, forcing a period of complex coalition talks. The final counts, released early Friday, show his bloc won 53 of the 120 Knesset seats. The main opposition block captured 48 seats, while parties led by Arab politicians secured 19 seats, a historical outcome for those groups.

With no single side holding the 61 seats required to form a government, political parties must now negotiate an alliance. These potential partners range from ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups to secular parties and Arab-led formations. Netanyahu remains in power as the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history until a new government is sworn in.

Yair Lapid, a centrist politician, acknowledged the difficulty of the upcoming talks on social media. He told Israelis to exercise patience, stating that work was continuing behind the scenes. "If you want to know if something is happening behind the silence you are currently hearing, the answer is yes," he wrote on X.

The central question for opposition leaders is whether they will partner with Arab-led parties or join forces with Netanyahu in a unity government. Many opposition parties campaigned intensely to remove Netanyahu from power, making an alliance with Arab leaders a politically sensitive move. Israelis debated these options as the country prepared for the Shabbat, with some expressing traditional caution and others urging a bolder approach.

Formal certification of the results is scheduled for next Wednesday, when President Isaac Herzog will receive the official counts. He will then task a leader, likely the head of the party with the most votes or another suitable candidate, with forming the next government. If negotiations fail, new elections will be held in early 2027. Herzog stated this week he would make every effort to prevent a second election.

In the hours before the final results were announced, Netanyahu and his Likud party amplified claims that Arab-led parties had stolen the election, possibly with foreign assistance. The opposition criticized Netanyahu for demonizing the Arab population, which constitutes 20% of the country and voted at record levels. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the National Security Minister, lost seats in the election, angering his ultra-right base.

Netanyahu declared on X that forming a coalition with Arab parties was prohibited. Noam Sohlberg, head of the electoral commission, said he received "serious suspicions" of foreign interference but could not verify the claims. He requested the Shin Bet security agency to investigate. Israeli media reported that Likud members accused Qatar of involvement, a claim Qatar dismissed as ridiculous and dangerous.

Dean Livne, the acting director-general of the electoral commission, warned that reports about the investigation were "totally baseless." He stated the investigation did not affect the final results to be presented to the president. The Shin Bet said its inquiry was not intended to cast suspicion on the entire Arab population, which exercised its democratic right to vote legally. The electoral committee expects Shin Bet conclusions within one week.