Israel election results leave Netanyahu in limbo, with Arab parties holding the deciding votes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s grip on power has been shaken, with Israel’s election producing no clear path for his bloc to form the next government. The result puts Arab-led parties in the role of potential kingmakers and raises the prospect of an opposition coalition that could end Netanyahu’s tenure as prime minister. Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while rival Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc secured 48, leaving both sides short of the 61 seats needed to form a government. Two Arab-led parties won the remaining 19 seats, giving them a potentially decisive role in coalition talks.

The final results, released early Friday, showed no clear path to government formation. The results still need to be certified and submitted to President Isaac Herzog. Israeli law requires certification by November 4.

Netanyahu’s Likud party has accused Arab-led parties of “stealing” the election, potentially with foreign assistance. It offered no evidence for the claim.


“The elections in Israel have been stolen!” Likud said, alleging that foreign interference was “aimed at facilitating a foreign takeover of the Knesset, the Islamization of Israel and toppling of the right wing government.”

Israeli media reported that members of Netanyahu’s party had accused Qatar of involvement. Qatar denied the allegations, calling them “ridiculous and dangerous.”

The allegations intensified after Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who heads Israel’s election committee, said that “serious suspicions” of foreign interference had been brought before him. He asked the Shin Bet security agency to investigate but said he could not verify the claims.

The election committee said the investigation was based on classified intelligence and warned against “unfounded” reports. It said the probe would not affect the final results or target any particular section of the population.

Opposition accuses Netanyahu of undermining vote

Eisenkot accused Likud of trying to delegitimise the election results. “They are doing this because they lost,” he said.

He also mocked the allegation of foreign interference, saying: “I welcome the fact that Netanyahu is finally condemning Qatari involvement in the State of Israel.”

Netanyahu has faced accusations that former senior aides accepted money from Qatar. By challenging the election outcome, his party appeared to be trying to prevent a possible alliance between Eisenkot’s opponents and Arab-led parties.

Netanyahu has said it would be treasonous for Eisenkot to join forces with Arab parties. The Shin Bet said its investigation was not meant to “cast aspersions” on an entire section of the population that “exercised its right to vote in a democratic and lawful manner.”

The election committee also said that “allegations of systematic violations of electoral integrity are baseless.”

Arab parties could decide next government

The results have created difficult choices for Israel’s political parties. Some Jewish opposition parties may have to decide whether to form a government with Arab-led parties or join forces with Netanyahu despite campaigning against him.

A government needs 61 seats to control the Knesset. Netanyahu remains prime minister while the coalition process continues.

Eisenkot has left the door open to cooperation with Arab-led parties. Ahmad Tibi, second on the Arab-led Joint List, said the opposition had contacted him about replacing the Knesset speaker. He said his party would support the opposition’s candidate.

Arab-led parties could also support Netanyahu’s opponents without formally joining a coalition. Their backing could help the opposition elect a new speaker, control the parliamentary agenda and pass legislation before a government is formed.

Until 2021, no Arab party had joined an Israeli coalition government. That coalition lasted for a short period.

Netanyahu campaigned against Arab-led parties

Before the election, Netanyahu and Likud portrayed Arab-led parties as a threat to Israel. Critics said the campaign sought to marginalise Arab citizens, who are of Palestinian descent and account for about 20% of Israel’s population. The campaign, along with opposition to Netanyahu and his far-right government, led to a sharp increase in Arab voter turnout.

Yair Golan, head of the Democrats party, accused Netanyahu of “attempting to undermine the election results through an ugly delegitimization campaign directed against the will of the public — and against the Arab public in particular.”

“Netanyahu is working to steal the election,” the Arab-led Joint List party said.

President Isaac Herzog called the situation a “sensitive moment” and demanded a full investigation. He warned that “we must not tarnish an entire community that sought to exercise its right to vote and take an active part in democracy.”

If the parties fail to form a government after several attempts, Israel could face another election early next year. Herzog and Eisenkot have both indicated that they want to avoid that outcome.

If Netanyahu loses office, he could face renewed scrutiny over corruption allegations and the security failures linked to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack.

with inputs from agencies