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Netanyahu's bloc loses Knesset majority as opposition weighs options
ReNetanyahu's bloc loses Knesset majority as opposition weighs options
Israel's final election count leaves neither Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition with a majority, and ultra-Orthodox and Arab parties have become pivotal in the talks that will decide who forms the next government.
Israel's final election count has confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc has lost its parliamentary majority, but it remains unclear whether opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot can assemble a government to replace him. Negotiations are beginning behind closed doors, and several longtime political rivals are now weighing arrangements that once seemed unlikely.
The completed count, published early Friday by Israel's Central Elections Committee, gave Netanyahu's bloc 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Eisenkot's opposition alliance secured 48 seats. The two predominantly Arab parties won a historic 19 seats, placing them in a potentially decisive position. Netanyahu's Likud emerged as the largest individual party with 27 seats, followed by Eisenkot's Yashar with 21 and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's Beyachad with 12. Final voter turnout reached 77.9 percent, according to the committee's results.
Neither major bloc reached the 61 seats needed for a majority. That opens the door to possible partnerships with Arab parties, ultra-Orthodox lawmakers, or a unity government that would bring together rivals. A source familiar with opposition discussions, who spoke to Fox News Digital on condition of anonymity, described the outcome as a "bitter stalemate" but not an impossible political situation. The source said opposition leaders are approaching coalition talks with patience rather than treating the inconclusive result as a defeat, arguing that the next government could depend on forging partnerships that previously seemed out of reach.
One of the most significant developments involves the ultra-Orthodox community. Israeli journalist Yishai Cohen of Kikar HaShabbat reported that Rabbi Dov Lando, a leading ultra-Orthodox religious authority, had instructed lawmakers from Degel HaTorah, part of United Torah Judaism, to open discussions with the opposition. According to the report, the goal is an arrangement protecting the status of yeshiva students amid the long-running dispute over mandatory military service.
Channel 12 reported that figures within the ultra-Orthodox party were considering allowing an Eisenkot-led minority government to survive through outside parliamentary support, which would break with Netanyahu. "Our votes are not in Netanyahu's pocket," party figures told Channel 12, according to a translation of the Hebrew-language report. However, the office of United Torah Judaism Chairman Yaakov Asher denied that any instruction to begin negotiations had been issued. Such an arrangement would mark a major shift from the party's longstanding alliance with Netanyahu.
Eisenkot's pledge to expand military conscription among ultra-Orthodox men remains a major obstacle. Channel 12 reported, however, that party figures were willing to consider a compromise on the issue. The source familiar with opposition discussions told Fox News Digital that Eisenkot's camp had been preparing for possible cooperation with ultra-Orthodox parties well before the vote, suggesting some of the options now under discussion had already been considered behind the scenes. Such a deal could require compromises over military service and potentially outside support from Arab lawmakers.
The Arab parties nearly doubled their representation, rising from 10 to 19 seats after a surge in turnout. Their prospects as kingmakers have drawn conflicting assessments. Channel 12 reported Thursday that Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas had expressed deep skepticism about an Eisenkot-led minority government supported by Arab lawmakers. Israeli political commentator Amit Segal argued that the options had narrowed considerably, identifying a Netanyahu-Eisenkot unity government or another election as the two principal remaining possibilities.
Mohammed Majadla, head of the news division at Radio Nas and a Channel 12 political commentator, offered a different view in an interview with Fox News Digital. He argued that both Ra'am and the Joint List were prepared to use their parliamentary influence to prevent Netanyahu from returning to power. "The two Arab lists agree on two things," Majadla said in the Hebrew-language interview. "First, they are prepared to do everything within the political process to ensure Netanyahu does not return to power." He said that could include joining a coalition, providing outside support, or abstaining from key votes. Their second shared priority, he said, is avoiding another election, which Arab leaders fear could reverse their gains. "The ball is now in Eisenkot's court, not in the Arab parties' court," Majadla said.
Majadla also suggested that public statements should not necessarily be taken as final positions, since parties are seeking leverage in negotiations. The difficulties extend beyond the Arab parties. Some of Eisenkot's potential partners strongly oppose cooperation with ultra-Orthodox factions, and several opposition leaders campaigned against relying on Arab lawmakers to govern. Whether these competing demands can be reconciled will determine whether Netanyahu's rule ends or continues.
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