Israeli Election Fallout: Scenarios for Government Formation

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc holds 53 seats, while Gadi Eisenkot's change bloc has 48 seats, and Arab parties hold 19 seats. Although Netanyahu won more mandates than Eisenkot, neither leader has a clear path to a coalition, presenting three main post-election scenarios.

President Yitzhak Herzog praised the high voter turnout and announced he will begin consultations next week after receiving the official results from Justice Solberg. Herzog urged all parties to work together to avoid a rerun of the elections, a prospect Eisenkot has also warned against.

Potential paths forward include Netanyahu receiving the mandate first to attempt a unity government, though Eisenkot has reportedly stated he would refuse such an arrangement. Alternatively, Netanyahu could seek defectors from the change bloc to join a right-wing national government. If Eisenkot receives the mandate, he could attempt to form a coalition with the support of Arab parties, a move backed by Yair Golan but opposed by Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman.