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Israel Election Deadlock Leaves Netanyahu and Rivals Seeking Path to Government

The elections for the 26th Knesset have resulted in a political deadlock, with neither major political bloc securing the 61 seats required to form a majority government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing and ultra-Orthodox bloc has secured 53 seats, while the "bloc for change" led by Gadi Eisenkot has won 48 seats. Arab parties secured 19 seats, including Ra'am, which could potentially bring the change bloc's total to 56 seats.

4 newsrooms · 3 languages · since 28 Oct, 23:04

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Israel Election Deadlock Leaves Netanyahu and Rivals Seeking Path to Government — Illustration by baba

What happened

01The elections for the 26th Knesset have ended in a political deadlock with no bloc securing a 61-seat majority.
02Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc secured 53 seats, leaving him at least eight seats short of a majority.
03The opposition "bloc for change" led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48 seats, which could rise to 56 with Ra'am's support.
04Arab parties won a total of 19 seats, making their potential support a key factor in coalition mathematics.
05President Isaac Herzog will task a lawmaker with forming a government within 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension.
06A national unity government led by Netanyahu would require multiple party leaders to break their campaign promises.
07If no compromise is reached among the parties, Israel may be forced to head to repeated elections.

President Isaac Herzog is now tasked with consulting with party leaders before designating a lawmaker to form a government. The designated individual will have 28 days, with a potential 14-day extension, to assemble a coalition. President Herzog has pledged to do everything possible to prevent a repeat election, a scenario that remains highly likely if no political compromise is reached.

Several scenarios are being considered to break the stalemate, including a national unity government led by Netanyahu, which is reportedly favored by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. However, such a government would require numerous leaders, including Netanyahu, Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan, to break campaign promises. Other options include a rotation government or a "government of change" supported directly or externally by Arab parties, though leaders like Lieberman, Bennett, and Eisenkot have pledged not to govern with them.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated 30 Oct, 08:41

Latest report: i24NEWS French. Read i24NEWS French’s original