Netanyahu’s bloc leads in Israeli election, but majority still out of reach
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition won 53 seats in Israel’s election, leaving it eight short of a governing majority and launching a crucial round of coalition talks amid disputes over alleged interference.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition emerged as the largest bloc in Israel’s recent parliamentary election, securing 53 of the 120 Knesset seats, according to the final tally released by the Central Elections Committee on Friday. Netanyahu’s Likud party remained the largest single faction with 27 seats, while the opposition bloc led by centrist Gadi Eisenkot obtained 48 seats.
Arab party groupings Raam and the Joint List together won 19 seats, placing them in the role of potential kingmakers in the formation of a government. No bloc reached the 61-seat threshold required for a majority, meaning coalition negotiations are likely to be lengthy and difficult, with a fresh election possible if talks fail.
The election result was accompanied by allegations from Netanyahu’s camp that Arab-Israeli parties received foreign funding to influence the vote. Both Raam and the Joint List rejected the claims, and Qatar said the accusations were unfounded. Israel’s Shin Bet security service said it was investigating suspected irregularities, while emphasizing that the probe was not intended to cast aspersions on any voting sector. The acting director general of the electoral commission, Dean Livne, called suggestions of widespread problems “entirely groundless.”
Raam leader Mansour Abbas denied any wrongdoing and welcomed an investigation, while the Joint List accused Netanyahu and his allies of running a campaign aimed at undermining Arab voters’ influence. Opposition figures, including left-wing candidate Yair Golan, suggested that Netanyahu was attempting to challenge the election results. Eisenkot said he had been briefed by Shin Bet and the election committee, but noted that it was too early to determine whether any irregularities had occurred.
Yousef Jabareen, head of the Joint List, told AFP he was willing to cooperate with the opposition to bring down Netanyahu, but did not intend to join a government. Police reported the arrest of three suspects in a localized case related to the allegations, which the election commission described as isolated.