Coalition Talks Begin as Netanyahu's Bloc Loses Knesset Majority
Final counts show the Prime Minister's camp holds 53 seats, forcing complex negotiations to reach the 61-seat threshold for power.
By Fatou Mitchell ·
Israeli voters face a period of intensive bargaining after final election results confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political bloc no longer commands a majority in the legislature. The outcome requires leaders from vastly different ideological camps to negotiate a governing coalition, a process that may take weeks.
The final tallies released on Friday indicate that Netanyahu’s bloc secured 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. The main opposition bloc captured 48 seats. Arab-led parties won the remaining 19 seats, marking a historic increase in their representation. To form a government, parties must agree on a lineup of at least 61 members.
President Isaac Herzog will receive the certified results next Wednesday. He will then assign a specific individual the mandate to form a new cabinet. That role could go to the leader of the party with the most votes, currently Netanyahu, or to another figure deemed capable of assembling the necessary support. If all attempts fail, Israel will return to the polls in early 2027.
Centrist politician Yair Lapid described the coming phase as the truly hard part. He asked the public for patience while leaders determine how to bridge the gap between their platforms. Netanyahu, who remains in office during the transition, posted on X that it is forbidden to build a coalition with Arab parties. He suggested it would be treasonous for his rival, Gadi Eisenkot, to partner with them.
Tensions rose before the final counts were announced. Netanyahu and his Likud party claimed that Arab-led parties had stolen the election with foreign help. They specifically pointed to Qatar, a nation many Israelis view as a patron of Hamas. Qatar rejected the claim, calling the allegations ridiculous and dangerous. The head of the election committee, Justice Noam Sohlberg, stated that serious suspicions of foreign interference were brought to his attention. He asked the Shin Bet security agency to investigate, though he noted he could not verify the claims himself.
The election commission maintained that the investigation was based on classified intelligence. Dean Livne, the acting director general, said the probe does not affect the final results or concern any specific sector of the population. He warned that media reports about the investigation were entirely unfounded. The Shin Bet stated its work was not meant to cast aspersions on the 20% of the population that belongs to the Arab community.
The new Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on November 10. Once it convenes, Eisenkot’s bloc could join forces with the Arab parties to elect a new speaker. That move would give the opposition control over the parliamentary agenda. It could allow them to pass legislation before a final government is formed. If Netanyahu loses power, he will face years of corruption allegations and a security inquiry into the failures leading to the October 7, 2023, attack.
Hundreds of Israelis held rallies urging the opposition to partner with the Arab-led parties. This alliance has occurred only once before, briefly, in 2021. The current negotiations will determine whether that precedent is repeated or if Netanyahu forms a fractious unity government with his opponents.
