by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Wednesday that a government dependent on Islamist parties would threaten Israel’s national security and deepen divisions within the country, as President Isaac Herzog prepares to decide who will receive the first opportunity to form a governing coalition following the October 27 Knesset elections.
Writing on X, Netanyahu warned that a government reliant on Islamist parties would be unable to confront radical Islam and could “tear us apart from within,” describing the political struggle as “a matter of our very survival.”
The prime minister renewed his call for a broad national unity government led by his Likud Party, bringing together his traditional right-wing allies and other Zionist parties willing to join.
Netanyahu accused opposition leaders of placing political ambitions ahead of national security by considering a minority government dependent on parties he described as supporters of terrorism.
Election Results Leave Both Major Blocs Short of a Majority
The election produced a deeply divided Knesset, with Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc winning 53 seats, the opposition bloc led by former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot securing 48, and two Arab-led parties capturing a record 19 seats.
The final election results gave Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc 53 seats, including 27 for Likud, seven each for Otzma Yehudit and United Torah Judaism, and six each for Shas and Religious Zionism.
The opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot secured 48 seats, with 21 for Eisenkot’s Yashar party, 12 for former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad, eight for the Democrats, and seven for Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu.
Meanwhile, the Arab-led parties emerged as potential kingmakers, winning a combined 19 seats, with 11 going to the Joint List and eight to Ra’am. Neither major bloc secured the 61 seats needed for a governing majority, leaving the Arab factions in a potentially decisive position in coalition negotiations.
The Arab parties nearly doubled their representation from the outgoing Knesset, giving them a potentially decisive role in determining Israel’s next government.
Together, Eisenkot’s opposition bloc and the Arab factions would command 67 seats, comfortably exceeding the 61 needed for a parliamentary majority. However, opposition leaders remain divided over whether to establish a government dependent on Arab-party support.
Netanyahu’s bloc, meanwhile, fell eight seats short of a majority, leaving the prime minister dependent on attracting support from outside his traditional coalition.
Voter turnout reached approximately 78%, reflecting intense public interest in an election that could determine Israel’s political direction.
Herzog Begins Consultations to Select Next Government Leader
President Isaac Herzog received the certified election results Wednesday and began consultations with representatives of the newly elected parties to determine which lawmaker has the strongest prospect of assembling a governing majority.
The consultations continue Thursday, with Herzog expected to make his first selection in the coming days, ahead of the November 11 deadline.
Under Israeli law, the selected candidate will initially receive 28 days to negotiate a coalition agreement, with a possible 14-day extension.
Herzog is not required to choose the leader of the largest party. Instead, he must determine which candidate has the best chance of forming a government capable of securing the Knesset’s confidence.
The political deadlock raises the possibility of a broad unity government, an opposition-led coalition supported by Arab parties, or another election if negotiations fail.
Netanyahu has also demanded a full investigation into suspected foreign interference in the October 27 vote. However, Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg has indicated that the available evidence does not undermine the certified election results.
Israel’s new Knesset is scheduled to convene November 10.
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