No Majority For Netanyahu! Israel PM Faces Coalition Test As New Knesset To Take Oath On November 10

Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political bloc has failed to secure a majority in the country's general election, with the final results confirming a fragmented parliament and setting the stage for coalition negotiations. Although Netanyahu's Likud emerged as the single-largest party, the alliance supporting him won only 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, falling short of the 61 required to form a government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political bloc has failed to secure a majority in the country's general election, with the final results confirming a fragmented parliament and setting the stage for coalition negotiations. Although Netanyahu's Likud emerged as the single-largest party, the alliance supporting him won only 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, falling short of the 61 required to form a government.

The opposition bloc, led by the centrist Yashar party's leader Gadi Eisenkot, gained 48 seats, and various Arab political groups together obtained 19 seats.  Their numbers might play a key role in deciding which party or group will form the next government, since neither of the two main groups has gained enough backing to rule on their own. 

The Central Elections Committee announced the final results on Friday, October 30. The newly elected 26th Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on November 10.

How Are The 120 Seats In Israel's Knesset Divided?

According to the final results, the Likud party got 27 seats, and Eisenkot's Yashar came in second with 21 seats.  B'Yachad won 12 seats, and the Joint List came in second with 11. 

The Democrats and Ra'am each got eight seats.  Yisrael Beytenu, United Torah Judaism, and Otzma Yehudit each won seven seats, while Shas and Religious Zionism each got six seats.

Israel's electoral threshold of 3.25 per cent was breached by three smaller political parties.  The Reservists got 2.7 percent of the votes, People of Israel got 1.7 percent, and Charedi Public got 0.2 percent. 

A total of 5,716,665 votes were cast, reflecting a voter turnout of 77.9%. 

The official final results will be given to Israeli President Isaac Herzog on November 4 after checking for any mistakes and handling other questions. 

Can Netanyahu Or The Opposition Form The Next Government?

Since neither big group got enough seats, people are now looking at possible team-ups and talks about forming a group together. 

The possibility exists of a minority government led by Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, which would receive support from Arab parties outside the government.  However, Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas reportedly said such an arrangement is unlikely or impossible during a meeting with party members, according to Channel 12 News. 

The Democrats are the only party that has shown a willingness to consider Arab-majority parties as potential partners in a government agreement. 

Another option is a coalition government that includes Netanyahu's Likud party, Eisenkot's Yashar party, Naftali Bennett's Together movement, and Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beytenu.  A majority in the Knesset could be attained through this arrangement. 

However, this seems challenging because the opposition parties ran on a platform to take Netanyahu out of power, while the prime minister still relies on his far-right and ultra-Orthodox supporters. 

Herzog will consult with representatives from political parties before inviting the candidate who is considered the most likely to form a government during the government formation process. 

If the first candidate doesn't work out, another member of the legislature might get a chance to try.  In the event that the process fails within the allotted time, Israel may have to hold new elections in the future. 

Netanyahu Camp's Election Fraud Claims Trigger Investigation

The announcement of the final results has come amid allegations of foreign interference and voter fraud, with Netanyahu's Likud party intensifying its accusations against Arab political groups.

In a post on X, Likud claimed that "the elections in Israel were stolen by Arab parties". The party said it had submitted evidence of alleged electoral fraud to the police, Shin Bet and the Central Elections Committee, demanding an investigation and prosecution of those responsible.

The allegations remain unsubstantiated. Arab-majority lists and Qatar have rejected claims of foreign funding to influence voting, while election authorities have pushed back against suggestions of widespread electoral misconduct.

Central Elections Committee chairman Noam Sohlberg formally asked Shin Bet chief David Zini to investigate suspicions that foreign entities may have attempted to influence voting patterns in the Arab sector.

Shin Bet confirmed that it was examining suspected irregularities but clarified that the investigation was not intended to "cast aspersions or place blame on an entire sector that went out to vote in a democratic and lawful manner".

Acting Central Elections Committee Director General Dean Livne also described claims of widespread electoral misconduct as "entirely groundless". The committee maintained that there was no empirical evidence indicating systematic compromise of the election process.

Meanwhile, Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of attempting to undermine the election outcome and said the opposition would resist any move to delay the opening of the new Knesset.

He also announced plans to introduce legislation on universal military conscription and establish a State Commission of Inquiry into the October 7 massacre. Both proposals are expected to be presented after the new parliament convenes on November 10.

Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads the Religious Zionism-Zehut party, have also reportedly met to coordinate their next steps following the election.

Argentine President Javier Milei congratulated Netanyahu on what he described as the Likud party's "great victory". In a post on X, Milei said Likud "has once again become the leading force in Israel".

"Once more, you have demonstrated the strength of your leadership, even in the face of polls and predictions against you. Argentina and Israel will continue to be strategic allies against those who challenge our Western values," Milei said.

For now, Likud's position as the largest party has not translated into a clear governing mandate. With coalition negotiations ahead and the role of Arab parties still uncertain, Israel faces a potentially prolonged period of political uncertainty.