Israel election ends in political deadlock as Netanyahu, rival fall short of majority

Israel’s latest general election has produced a hung parliament, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot securing enough seats to independently form a government.

Final results released by election officials showed that Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc won 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while the bloc supporting Eisenkot secured 48 seats, leaving both sides short of the 61-seat majority required to form a government.

Netanyahu’s latest performance represents a decline from the 68 seats his political bloc controlled at its peak in the outgoing parliament.

The election also recorded a historic breakthrough for parties representing Israel’s Arab minority, which collectively secured 19 seats after a record number of Palestinian citizens of Israel participated in Tuesday’s vote.

The strong performance of the Arab-led parties, particularly Ra’am and the Joint List, has increased their potential influence in the formation of the next government, although both leading political blocs have ruled out entering a coalition with them.

The results have also renewed attention on the political position of Palestinian citizens of Israel, many of whom reportedly voted with the hope of ending Netanyahu’s rule and removing far-right figures from his outgoing coalition, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Despite ruling out cooperation with the Arab parties, Yair Golan, leader of the smaller left-wing Democrats party, called for a government that would include them.

In a post on X, Golan criticised what he described as Netanyahu’s attempt to divide voters along ethnic lines, insisting that Arab citizens should not be excluded from the country’s political process.

The election campaign was also marked by allegations of foreign interference, with Netanyahu and members of his coalition raising concerns about possible Qatari involvement and referring Arab parties to Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, for investigation.

Qatar denied the allegations, while Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas rejected any connection to the alleged activities and called for a comprehensive investigation. He also accused Netanyahu of running a campaign of incitement and delegitimisation against Arab citizens.

However, Dean Livne, acting director-general of Israel’s Central Elections Committee, said there was no evidence to support claims of widespread electoral misconduct.

Although the counting of ballots has been completed, the results are still subject to formal certification before being submitted to President Isaac Herzog.

Herzog is expected to consult with political party leaders before assigning the mandate to the candidate he believes has the strongest chance of assembling a governing coalition.

The outcome leaves Israel facing another period of political uncertainty, with negotiations and possible alliances likely to determine whether Netanyahu retains power or the opposition can build an alternative government.