Israel's Election Ends in Deadlock — Neither Bloc Reaches a Majority
Written by AI from aljazeera.com's report. Not checked by a person.
With more than 99% of Tuesday's ballots counted, provisional results show Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats and the opposition 48, with neither side reaching the 61-seat majority needed to form a government. Final certified results are expected by Wednesday.
Vote counting is effectively complete in Israel's Knesset elections — the country's first since the October 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel — and provisional results confirm a political deadlock. Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc holds 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot secured 48 seats, according to Israeli outlet Haaretz. Arab-list parties collectively hold the remaining 19 seats. Neither side has reached the 61-seat threshold required to form a government. The Central Elections Committee will certify and announce the official final results by Wednesday; until then, the numbers remain subject to change. With no bloc able to govern alone, coalition talks are underway. On Thursday, Eisenkot, who heads the Yashar party, met former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of the Together party to explore forming a new government quickly. However, Eisenkot has pledged not to partner with Palestinian-Israeli parties — a significant obstacle given that the opposition cannot reach a majority without Arab-party support. Democrats chair Yair Golan has shown more openness to such an alliance and met separately with Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas, whose party is projected to win eight of the 19 Arab-party seats. Meanwhile, Netanyahu's Likud party has amplified unverified claims of election interference, which Eisenkot dismissed as an attempt to delegitimise the results.
