Israel’s completed election count left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc eight seats short of a Knesset majority, while the main Zionist opposition and Arab-led parties hold 67 seats combined without a coalition pact.
The Associated Press reported the breakdown at 53 seats for Netanyahu’s bloc, 48 for the main Zionist opposition and 19 for Arab-led parties. The Central Elections Committee says the count could change before formal publication by Nov. 4.
A majority in the 120-member Knesset requires 61 seats. Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot leads the main Zionist opposition bloc. The 67-seat sum clears the threshold on paper, but the groups have not agreed to govern together.
The Associated Press reported that Avigdor Liberman, leader of Yisrael Beytenu, has said his party will not enter a government with the two Arab-led parties. In an Oct. 31 post on X, Eisenkot set out four conditions for prospective partners: affirming Israel’s Jewish, democratic, liberal and egalitarian character; supporting its Declaration of Independence; providing military, national or civilian service for all citizens; and recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization while dismantling its military and governing capabilities in Gaza.
The Times of Israel reported that about 2,000 people attended a Tel Aviv rally on Saturday, Oct. 31, and that a smaller demonstration took place in Jerusalem. The outlet quoted Standing Together organizers as saying Arab citizens should be “full partners in shaping the country’s future.”
The Associated Press cited a previous case in 2021, when an Arab-led party entered a governing coalition for the first time; that administration lasted about a year and a half.
The Central Elections Committee’s timetable sets Nov. 4 as the deadline to publish results in the Official Gazette. The Times of Israel reported the committee expects to submit them to President Isaac Herzog after checks that day. The Knesset is scheduled to convene Nov. 10. Under Israel’s Basic Law, Herzog must consult party representatives before designating a lawmaker to try to form a government. That lawmaker has 28 days, and Herzog may grant an extension of up to 14 days.
