Netanyahu’s Bloc Loses Its Majority as Israel’s Final Results Leave No Clear Path to a Government

JERUSALEM, Oct. 30 (TodayViralUSA) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc has lost its parliamentary majority, final results from Israel’s election show, leaving neither he nor his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, with a clear path to power and setting up weeks of difficult coalition bargaining.

With all votes counted, Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc won 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, well below the 68 it controlled at its peak in the outgoing parliament. The bloc backing Eisenkot, the former military chief who leads the Yashar party, won 48. Arab-led parties took the remaining 19, a record showing. A government needs the support of at least 61 lawmakers.

What happens next

The results must still be certified and presented to President Isaac Herzog next Wednesday. Herzog will then consult party leaders and choose the candidate he judges most likely to assemble a government. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, remains in office in the meantime.

The arithmetic is difficult for both camps. Both Netanyahu and Eisenkot ruled out governing with the two main Arab parties, Ra’am and the Joint List, before Tuesday’s vote. Eisenkot’s bloc could reach a majority only with both ultra-Orthodox parties, but Shas leader Aryeh Deri has rejected joining an opposition-led coalition that excludes Netanyahu’s Likud, while United Torah Judaism has signaled openness to talks, The Jerusalem Post reported.

A historic Arab turnout

Palestinian citizens of Israel voted in record numbers, many hoping to unseat Netanyahu and far-right partners including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, NBC News reported. Their gains have turned the Arab parties into potential kingmakers, even as the leading blocs keep them at arm’s length.

Before the vote, Netanyahu and coalition members amplified allegations of Qatari interference and referred Arab parties to the Shin Bet security service. Qatar denied the claims, and Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas said his party had “no connection” to such conduct. The acting director general of Israel’s Central Elections Committee said there was “no basis for allegations of systematic violations of electoral integrity.”

Yair Golan, head of the left-wing Democrats, has called for a government formed “in partnership” with Arab parties. President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu days before the election.