Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political bloc has fallen short of a parliamentary majority after securing 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, leaving the formation of Israel’s next government uncertain.
Final election results released early Friday showed that the main opposition bloc won 48 seats, while Arab-led parties secured 19 seats, according to The Associated Press.
A coalition needs at least 61 seats to command a majority in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. The results mean Netanyahu’s bloc cannot form a government on its own and will need to explore possible alliances with other political groups.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, remains in office as parties consider their options for forming a government.
The opposition, led by centrist politician Gadi Eisenkot, could potentially secure a majority by cooperating with Arab-led parties. However, such an arrangement could prove difficult because some opposition parties ruled out working with those groups during the election campaign.
Another possibility is a unity government involving Netanyahu’s bloc and some opposition parties, although negotiations are expected to be challenging.
The 19 seats won by Arab-led parties represent a historic showing and could give them significant influence over negotiations to form the next government.
Netanyahu and his Likud party have alleged that Arab-led parties stole the election, potentially with foreign assistance. However, the claims have not been substantiated.
“The right-wing bloc has a clear, decisive majority among the Zionist public, among the Jewish public and all those who support the Jewish state,” Netanyahu said, according to the BBC, while addressing supporters.
He called for the formation of a strong, national, right-wing government.
Eisenkot, meanwhile, said voters had rejected Netanyahu’s continued leadership.
“The public has chosen change. The coalition of failure has lost the people’s trust. The Israeli public voted against Benjamin Netanyahu continuing as prime minister,” he said.
Israel’s election committee dismissed allegations of systematic violations of electoral integrity as baseless. The Shin Bet security agency also said its investigation into possible interference was not intended to cast suspicion on Arab voters.
The results are expected to be certified and submitted to President Isaac Herzog next Wednesday. Herzog will then consult party leaders before asking a politician to form a government.
If efforts to form a government fail, Israel could hold another election early next year.
The new Knesset is expected to be sworn in on November 10. Before a new government is formed, the opposition and Arab-led parties could also cooperate to elect a parliamentary speaker and influence the legislature’s agenda.
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