Israel’s PM Netanyahu’s bloc loses majority, coalition talks begin

Israel’s election results confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc lost its parliamentary majority, setting the stage for complex coalition negotiations among diverse parties.

The final count showed Netanyahu’s bloc secured 53 seats, while the main opposition bloc won 48. Arab-led parties captured the remaining 19 seats, marking a historic achievement.

With no single party holding a majority, parties must now negotiate and form a coalition of at least 61 seats to govern the 120-seat Knesset.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, remains in charge following the election, though his position is now more precarious.

Centrist politician Yair Lapid described the upcoming negotiations as the 'truly hard part,' emphasizing the need for patience and cooperation.

The president will task someone with forming a government, which could be Netanyahu or another leader deemed suitable by the parties involved.

If multiple attempts to form a government fail, Israel faces a new election early next year, though President Isaac Herzog has vowed to avoid that scenario.

In the hours before results were finalized, Netanyahu and his Likud party made unsubstantiated claims that Arab-led parties had 'stolen' the election with foreign assistance.

Opposition parties accused Netanyahu of demonizing Arab voters, who make up 20% of the population and showed strong turnout in response to his far-right allies.

The head of Israel’s election committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, noted 'serious suspicions' of foreign interference but said he could not verify the claims.

Israeli media reported accusations against Qatar, which many Israelis view as a patron of Hamas, though Qatar denied the allegations as 'ridiculous and dangerous.'

The election commission stated the investigation was based on classified intelligence, and Acting Director General Dean Livne warned that reports about it were 'entirely unfounded.'

Netanyahu’s attempts to cast doubt on the election may have aimed to prevent potential alliances between his opponents and Arab-led parties.

The Shin Bet security agency emphasized its investigation was not meant to 'cast aspersions' on any group that voted lawfully.

The elections committee also dismissed allegations of systematic electoral violations as 'baseless' and requested findings from the Shin Bet within a week.

Once the new Knesset is sworn in on Nov. 10, opposition parties may seek to control the parliamentary agenda by joining forces with Arab-led groups to elect a new speaker.

Hundreds of Israelis have already rallied for cooperation with Arab parties, a step that has only occurred once before, briefly, in 2021.

If Netanyahu loses office, he would face legal scrutiny over corruption allegations and an inquiry into security failures before the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.