• Incumbent PM’s bloc wins 53 seats, eight short of majority
• Eisenkot’s opposition takes 48, unlikely to share power with Netanyahu
• Arab parties emerge as kingmakers with 19 seats
• Lieberman, Golan flatly reject joining any govt led by Likud chief
• Weeks of coalition talks, repeat election possible

JERUSALEM: Prime Minis­­ter Benjamin Netanyahu’s ca­­­mp finished ahead of the opposition but remained short of a majority, final results from Israel’s general election showed on Friday, setting the stage for difficult coalition talks or potentially another vote.

Netanyahu’s coalition of right-wing and far-right parties won 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, with his Likud party remaining the largest faction with 27 seats.

The opposition bloc, led by centrist Gadi Eisenkot, secured 48 seats, while the Arab-majority parties Raam and the Joint List won a combined 19 seats, emerging as potential kingmakers.

The fragmented outcome leaves neither bloc with the 61 seats needed to form a majority government. Negotiations could last weeks, with another election possible if talks fail.

The final tally came after Netanyahu’s camp spent Thu­rsday amplifying unproven allegations that Arab-Israeli groups received foreign funding to influence the vote, accusations rejected by both Arab-majority lists and Qatar.

Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service said it was investigating suspected irregularities, but stressed that the probe was not intended to blame an entire community.

The Central Elections Com­mittee also sought to calm tensions, with acting director general Dean Livne calling suggestions of widespread irregularities “entirely groundless”.

The controversy centred on allegations that Raam recei­ved money from Qatar to finance vote-buying operations.

“The Raamgate scandal is a political earthquake. Israel’s elections have been stolen!” Netanyahu’s Likud party said on Thursday.

Raam leader Mansour Abbas denied wrongdoing and wel­­comed an investigation, while the Joint List accused Netan­ya­­hu and his allies of conducting a “campaign of incitement” against Arab voters.

Government officials have provided no evidence supporting the allegations.

Eisenkot accused Netan­ya­­hu and Likud of a coordinated campaign to delegitimise the election results. Qatar dismissed the allegations as “ridiculous and dangerous”.

Major obstacles

Israeli President Isaac Her­zog, who must select the candidate best positioned to form a government, has said another election must be avoided.

Netanyahu would need support from opposition parties to remain in power, but several have ruled out joining his government.

Of the four parties in Eisenkot’s camp, the least receptive to an overture from Netanyahu would be the left-wing Democrats, led by Yair Golan, which won eight seats.

Avigdor Lieberman, whose Yisrael Beiteinu party won seven seats, said the “only conceivable coalition” would exclude Netanyahu.

Naftali Bennett’s centre-right Together party, which secured 12 seats, has left its position less clear.

Bennett had initially sugge­sted he would not oppose an alliance with Netanyahu’s camp under certain conditions, notably the immediate creation of a commission of inquiry into the Oct 7, 2023, raids. But he later backtracked and insisted his remarks had been misconstrued.

The Yashar party won 21 seats, but an alliance with Netanyahu appears unlikely after Eisenkot campaigned on removing him from power.

For Eisenkot, forming a government would require support from Arab lawmakers or defections from Netanyahu’s bloc.

Raam, which won eight seats, has expressed willingness to join a coalition, while the Joint List, with 11 seats, has offered parliamentary support without joining the government.

Yousef Jabareen, head of the Joint List, said he was willing to cooperate with the opposition to remove Netanyahu but opposed joining its government.

Such an arrangement could allow Eisenkot to form a minority government, though disagreements over military operations in Gaza could threaten its survival.

However, Eisenkot’s opposition to military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men remains a major obstacle.

With both leaders claiming a mandate to govern but neither holding a majority, Israel faces prolonged political uncertainty and the possibility of another election.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2026