The parliamentary deadlock leaves both major political factions reliant on Arab list parties, which hold 19 seats, to assemble a viable governing coalition. Opposition groups are already fracturing over whether to partner with Arab-led parties to overcome the shortfall. Complicating negotiations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's allies are challenging the vote's legitimacy through unsubstantiated claims of foreign-backed election interference. Despite internal resistance to working with Arab lists, Democrats party chairman Yair Golan held discussions with United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas to explore coalition options.
Key points
Neither major political faction achieved the 61-seat threshold required to establish a ma…: Neither major political faction achieved the 61-seat threshold required to establish a majority government without forming broader alliances.
Deep political divisions regarding partnerships with Arab list parties severely complicat…: Deep political divisions regarding partnerships with Arab list parties severely complicate the opposition's path toward building a coalition.
The referral of foreign interference claims to security officials risks delegitimizing th…: The referral of foreign interference claims to security officials risks delegitimizing the election results before official certification on Wednesday.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Opposition explores options to form coalition as no party secures the 61 seats required for parliamentary majority.
Vote counting is complete in Israel’s elections with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition winning a majority in parliament, Israeli media have said.
As the provisional results were being published on Thursday, opposition politicians met to explore options for a coalition.
With more than 99 percent of Tuesday’s ballots tallied, Netanyahu’s bloc held 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot secured 48 seats, Israeli outlet Haaretz reported. The Arab list parties, meanwhile, held a combined 19 seats, it added.
Both Netanyahu’s bloc and the opposition parties fell short of securing the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.
The final results of the Knesset elections will be certified and announced by Wednesday. Until that date, the results are subject to change.
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