Israeli Election Leaves Parliament Divided
Netanyahu's bloc holds 53 seats, falling short of the 61 required for a majority as opposition parties begin coalition talks.
By Noor Phillips ·
The count of Tuesday's Knesset election is complete, leaving both major political blocs without a governing majority.
Israeli media report that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition holds 53 of the 120 seats in the Knesset. The opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot secured 48 seats. Parties representing Arab citizens hold a combined 19 seats.
Neither side reached the 61 seats necessary to form a government. The Central Elections Committee will certify the final results by Wednesday, though provisional figures remain subject to change until then.
Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party, met with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday to discuss coalition options. Bennett heads the Together party. The two sought to assemble a new government quickly, according to a statement reported by Ynet News.
Eisenkot also spoke with Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats party. Golan is the only opposition figure willing to join a coalition with parties led by Palestinian citizens of Israel. He met with Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab list, which is projected to win seven seats.
Golan stated on social media that the group must act to seize the opportunity for change. Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh noted that Eisenkot faces a difficult path. He has previously pledged not to partner with Palestinian Israeli parties, yet no bloc can govern without their support.
Netanyahu's Likud party has pushed claims that Arab-led parties stole the election with foreign help. Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, head of the Central Elections Committee, said he received a letter citing serious suspicions of foreign interference. He asked the Shin Bet security agency to investigate, though he could not verify the claims himself.
Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of using state institutions for personal gain. In a video posted on X, Eisenkot said the era of Netanyahu using institutions against Israeli interests has ended. Political analyst Xavier Abu Eid said Netanyahu is unsatisfied with the outcome. Abu Eid suggested the opposition might negotiate a new speaker of the Knesset to weaken Netanyahu's position and pass legislation against him.
