Netanyahu's Bloc Holds 53 Seats, Short of Knesset Control

Israelis waited Thursday for final election results that would confirm a lack of majority for any single bloc.

Local media projections show Benjamin Netanyahu's alliance holding 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. The opposition bloc is projected to capture 48 seats, while Arab-led parties hold 19. Neither group possesses the 61 seats required to form a government.

Final counts for approximately 500,000 mail-in votes from military personnel, diplomats, prisoners, and patients are expected later Thursday. Officials do not anticipate these late returns will drastically alter the current projections.

Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief and Netanyahu's main rival, called for a government serving all citizens. He stated he is open to working with Arab-led parties to reach the necessary majority, though he did not explicitly name them in his first public statement since Wednesday morning.

The Joint List, an Arab-led party, declared itself open to political cooperation. It described the voting results as a demonstration of strength and credited Jewish voters for challenging discrimination. Small demonstrations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem supported the idea of a coalition including Arab parties, a first since a brief alliance in 2021.

Netanyahu's Likud party, which received the most votes, accused Arab-led parties of stealing the election and asked the electoral committee to investigate. The party offered no specific evidence for its claims. The committee reported a low number of irregularities in a relatively quiet election.

President Isaac Herzog will task a candidate with forming the next government next week. While this role traditionally goes to the leader of the largest party, it is not mandatory. Herzog and Eisenkot both expressed a desire to avoid a new election in early 2027.

The political deadlock coincides with external threats, including potential new attacks on Iran by the Trump administration after November 3. Experts suggest Netanyahu could leverage renewed conflict to pressure rivals into a unity government led by him. This scenario could delay a public inquiry into security failures during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.