Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing camp finished ahead in Israel’s general election but fell well short of a majority, according to the final results released on Friday. The outcome has created a political deadlock and raised the possibility of difficult coalition talks or even another election.
Netanyahu’s coalition of right-wing and far-right parties secured 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. His own Likud party remained the largest single faction with 27 seats. The opposition bloc, led by centrist Gadi Eisenkot, won 48 seats. Neither side reached the 61 seats needed to form a government on its own.
The Arab party groupings Raam and the Joint List emerged as potential kingmakers after winning a combined 19 seats. Their strong showing has given them significant influence in the coming negotiations.
Netanyahu and his allies spent the day after the vote amplifying unproven claims that Arab parties received foreign funding to influence the election. They specifically accused Raam of receiving money from Qatar. Both Arab lists and Qatar firmly rejected the allegations. Israel’s Shin Bet security service said it was looking into suspected irregularities but stressed that the probe was not meant to blame an entire community that voted lawfully.
The Central Elections Committee also rejected suggestions of widespread problems. Its acting director general said any claim of systematic harm to the vote’s integrity was “entirely groundless.”
Opposition leaders accused Netanyahu of trying to undermine the results because he failed to win a clear majority. They described his campaign as an organised effort to delegitimise the election outcome and the growing political role of Arab voters.
With no bloc able to form a government easily, Israel now faces weeks of tough negotiations. Netanyahu will continue in a caretaker role for now. If talks collapse, the country could head back to the polls once again.
The fragmented result highlights deep political divisions and the rising influence of Arab parties in Israeli politics. The coming days will show whether a stable government can be formed or whether the deadlock will force yet another national election.
