Vote counting is finished in Israel after the national elections. Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor the opposition secured a majority in parliament, according to provisional results reported on Thursday by Israeli media.
With over 99 percent of ballots tallied from Tuesday, the bloc led by Netanyahu secured 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. The opposition bloc headed by Gadi Eisenkot captured 48 seats. Arab list parties claimed a combined total of 19 seats, the newspaper Haaretz reported.
Both major political camps fell short of the 61 seats needed to form a majority. The Central Elections Committee will certify the final results by Wednesday, so current figures could change.
Tuesday was the first election since the October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel and the war on Gaza. The vote served as a referendum on Netanyahu’s leadership.
Opposition figures met on Thursday to discuss potential coalition options. Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party, met former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to explore forming a new government quickly, Ynet News stated.
Eisenkot also met Democrats party chairman Yair Golan. Golan is the sole member of the opposition alliance open to a coalition with parties led by Palestinian citizens of Israel, while other political groups reject such partnerships.
Golan held a separate meeting with Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab List, or Ra’am, which is projected to win seven of the 19 Arab party seats. Golan wrote on X that the moment required action and responsibility to pursue change.
Eisenkot faces a difficult path to power. He has pledged not to enter a partnership with Palestinian Israeli parties, yet the opposition cannot reach a majority without support from Arab-led factions.
Netanyahu’s Likud party amplified allegations that Arab-led parties stole the election with foreign assistance. Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, head of the Central Elections Committee, stated that serious suspicions of foreign interference were referred to the Shin Bet security agency for investigation.
Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of trying to delegitimise the election outcome through unverified claims. In a video posted on X, Eisenkot stated that voters rejected the current government at the polls.
