Netanyahu Leads Knesset Vote as Opposition Falls Short

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political camp leads the Israeli parliamentary election, according to local media projections released Thursday. The count gives his bloc 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. The opposition coalition is projected to hold 48 seats. A third group of parties, primarily led by Arab leaders, is projected to win 19 seats.

Neither the Netanyahu bloc nor the opposition currently has the 61 seats required to form a government. The final results could arrive late Thursday after officials count approximately 500,000 ballots from military personnel, diplomats, and prisoners. Analysts do not expect these late votes to change the seat distribution dramatically.

Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief and main rival to Netanyahu, addressed his supporters early Wednesday. He described a vision for a government serving all citizens. Eisenkot said he remains open to working with Arab-led parties to reach a majority. He did not explicitly confirm an alliance with those groups in his initial statement.

The Joint List, one of the major Arab-led parties, called the election results a demonstration of strength. The party stated it is open to political cooperation. Small protests took place in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Wednesday night. Demonstrators supported the idea of a coalition that includes Arab-led parties. No Arab party has joined a governing coalition since 2021, when the arrangement was short-lived.

Netanyahu’s Likud party accused Arab-led parties of stealing the election. The party asked the electoral committee to investigate the claims. Likud did not provide specific evidence to support the accusation. The electoral committee stated that reports of irregularities in the relatively quiet election were low.

President Isaac Herzog will task a leader with forming the next government next week. Traditionally, this role goes to the leader of the party with the most votes, but it is not mandatory. Herzog said he wants to avoid new elections in early 2027. Eisenkot also expressed a desire to prevent a repeat vote.

If no government can be formed after multiple attempts, Israel will face a new election. The political landscape remains divided on issues such as military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox groups and the status of the war in Gaza. Netanyahu, the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history, faces corruption charges and accusations of delaying hostage agreements for political gain. The threat of renewed attacks on Iran adds to the uncertainty, with the U.S. government discussing potential strikes after its midterm elections on November 3.