Netanyahu's Bloc Falls Short With 53 Seats as Arab-Led Parties Reach 19 in Knesset

Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing bloc finished Israel's election with 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, short of the 68 it once held, leaving the prime minister unable to command a majority. The Central Elections Committee reported its final count on Friday, with certification to the president due by Wednesday.

The opposition led by Yashar, the party of former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, took 48 seats. Arab-led parties secured the remaining 19. Voter turnout reached nearly 78%, the highest level since 1999. Likud, Netanyahu's party, drew the largest individual share of votes but lost support compared with the 2022 election.

The count now moves to Israel's president, who will assign a lawmaker the task of assembling a government. Negotiations are expected to run for weeks. If those efforts fail, another election could be called early next year.

Two paths to a majority are under discussion. One would pair Jewish and Arab-led parties that oppose Netanyahu, a combination that is rare and politically contentious. The other would bring together parties that campaigned on removing Israel's longest-serving prime minister and then join forces with him. Both options have drawn sharp criticism from various quarters.

Eisenkot has kept open the possibility of working with Arab-led parties if they recognize Hamas as an extremist group, though some of his prospective partners reject that idea outright. Netanyahu has said he will not form a government that relies on Arab parties. His Likud party has asked the elections committee to investigate claims that Arab-led parties stole the vote; Likud has not released evidence behind the claim.

The elections committee separately asked the Shin Bet intelligence service to look into allegations of unspecified foreign interference. The request does not name Arab-led parties, but Netanyahu cited it when arguing that no party should cooperate with them. Opponents say Netanyahu is using scare tactics to build a case against Arab-led parties and Israel's Arab citizens, who make up 20% of the population. Qatar issued a statement denying it funded any activities intended to influence the outcome.

The campaign unfolded against the backdrop of the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in which militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 others, and the wars in Gaza and beyond that followed. Nearly 1,000 soldiers and reservists have been killed across three years of conflict. Netanyahu has rejected calls for an inquiry into Oct. 7, while some opponents say creating one would be among their first acts in power. The question of military service exemptions for the fast-growing ultra-Orthodox population also divided voters; Netanyahu's coalition has relied on ultra-Orthodox parties that want the exemptions preserved, and Eisenkot, whose son died in combat in Gaza, has vowed to end them.

The Central Elections Committee must submit the certified results to Israel's president by Wednesday.