Netanyahu Consults Allies as Israeli Election Results Remain Close

With election results still pending, Israeli political leaders are preparing for the next phase of forming a new government, despite no clear majority for any bloc. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken with his potential coalition partners, Itamar Ben-Gvir of Otzma Yehudit and Bezalel Smotrich of Religious Zionism, and is expected to confer with ultra-Orthodox parties next. Shas and United Torah Judaism are reportedly concerned about being left in the opposition, especially after Shas's significant drop in projected mandates from 11 to seven, while United Torah Judaism remains at seven mandates. Smotrich expressed gratitude to his supporters and vowed to continue serving "the people of Israel, the land of Israel, and the Torah of Israel." Netanyahu, in a speech Tuesday night, called for the "Zionist majority" to unite to ensure Israel's future, though it remains unclear if this includes parties from the "change bloc" that had previously ruled out sitting with him. He also thanked his coalition partners for their service. Meanwhile, parties in the "change bloc" are also strategizing for the post-election political landscape. Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats, announced meetings with leaders from the change bloc, including Yair Lapid and Gadi Eisenkot of Yes!, though he did not name Naftali Bennett. Eisenkot has also been in contact with change bloc leaders. Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu has not responded to calls. Despite the current deadlock, the change bloc aims to initiate a move to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, though concrete discussions have not yet occurred. The Likud party intends to counter this by claiming the change bloc is collaborating with the Joint List to achieve this goal. Discussions are ongoing between Yes!, Yisrael Beiteinu, and the Together party to coordinate strategy against the Likud, focusing on replacing the Knesset Speaker immediately after the new Knesset is sworn in, before a government is formed. This position holds significant influence over parliamentary agendas and legislation. As of Wednesday morning, with 97% of ballots counted, Netanyahu's bloc has 53 mandates, the change bloc has 48, and Arab parties hold 19. The remaining double-enveloped ballots, estimated between 430,000 and 480,000, could alter the final outcome.