Netanyahu's Bloc Loses Knesset Majority, Triggering Coalition Crisis
With 53 seats to the opposition's 48 and 19 held by Arab-led parties, Israel faces a difficult path to form a government by next year.
By Justin Brooks ·
Final election results announced on Friday confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition has lost its majority in the Knesset. The governing block won 53 seats in Tuesday's vote, falling short of the 61 required to rule. The main opposition bloc secured 48 seats, while parties led by Arab candidates won 19, marking a historic result for those groups.
Netanyahu, who holds the record for the longest tenure as Israeli prime minister, remains head of government for now. His rivals must negotiate with the Arab-led parties to replace him, a move that many in the opposition campaigned against but may now be necessary to break the deadlock.
Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the right-wing Yisrael Beitenu party, appeared to rule out an alliance with Arab-led parties on Friday. His faction won seven seats. By declaring such a partnership impossible, Lieberman makes it nearly impossible for Netanyahu's opponents to assemble the necessary coalition to remove him from power.
President Isaac Herzog will receive the certified results on Wednesday. He will then task a candidate with forming a new government. This candidate could be Netanyahu, as the leader of the party with the most votes, or another figure deemed capable of building a majority. If no government is formed after several attempts, Israel will return to the polls in early 2027. Herzog stated this week that he would do everything necessary to avoid a second election.
In the hours before the final results were released, Netanyahu and his Likud party amplified unproven accusations that Arab-led parties had stolen the election, possibly with foreign help. The opposition criticized this move, arguing that Netanyahu was demonizing Arab citizens, who make up 20% of the population and voted in record numbers.
Noam Sohlberg, the head of the election commission, told the Shin Bet security agency that he had received serious suspicions of foreign interference. However, he noted that the commission could not verify these claims itself. Israeli media reported that Likud members accused Qatar of involvement, a claim the Gulf state dismissed as ridiculous and dangerous.
Dean Livne, the acting director general of the election commission, stated that reports about the investigation were totally unfounded. He said the inquiry does not affect the final results or concern any specific sector of the population. The commission is waiting for the Shin Bet to conclude its investigation within one week.
Members of the new Knesset are expected to take office on November 10. If Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc joins forces with Arab parties, they could elect a new chamber president. This would give them control over the parliamentary agenda, allowing them to push laws through before a new executive is formed.
Lieberman described Arab parties as supporters of terrorism on Facebook, citing the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Arab party leaders have condemned that attack but have declined to label Hamas a terrorist organization, a stance they say would justify Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
Hundreds of Israelis have mobilized to pressure Eisenkot and other leaders to ally with Arab parties. Such a coalition has only happened once before, briefly, in 2021. If Netanyahu loses his post, he will face a corruption trial and a likely official investigation into security failures surrounding the October 2023 attack.
Source: WWSI
