Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleIsrael’s general election has ended without a clear winner. With about 90 per cent of votes counted, neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot has the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
Central Elections Committee data published Wednesday evening, Israel time, gave Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc 53 seats. The bloc around Eisenkot had 48. Arab-led parties won 19 seats, the most they have ever held.
The numbers
Netanyahu’s Likud remains the largest party, with 26 seats. Eisenkot’s new party, Yashar, is second with 21.
- Netanyahu bloc (53): Likud 26, Shas 7, United Torah Judaism 7, Otzma Yehudit 7, Religious Zionism 6
- Eisenkot bloc (48): Yashar 21, B’Yachad 12, the Democrats 8, Yisrael Beytenu 7
- Arab-led parties (19): Joint List 12, Ra’am 7
Netanyahu’s bloc held 68 seats in the outgoing Knesset, so the result is a significant drop. The Arab-led parties’ total is almost double the 10 seats they held before the vote.
Turnout was 77.7 per cent, according to near-final figures from the elections committee. About 5.7 million people voted. That is the highest turnout since 1999.
Not final yet
The count is not finished. Hundreds of thousands of “double envelope” ballots, cast mostly by soldiers, plus diplomats abroad, prisoners and medical staff, were being counted on Thursday. These ballots can move a seat or two, but analysts did not expect them to change the overall picture.
Official results are expected next week. Israeli media report a target date of Nov. 4.
What happens next
President Isaac Herzog will consult each party after he receives the official results. He then asks the leader with the best chance of forming a government to try. Herzog urged parties to avoid another election.
“I expect everyone who comes here to come with an open mind,” he said.
The path to 61 is hard for both sides. Eisenkot has ruled out serving under Netanyahu, including in a rotation deal. Most Zionist parties have also ruled out relying on Arab-led parties, though the Democrats have not.
Netanyahu called for a “right-wing, national, strong government.” Democrats leader Yair Golan argued the opposition camp, counted with the Arab-led parties, outnumbers Netanyahu’s. “Netanyahu lost,” he said.
Arab party leaders signalled they could help replace the government. Joint List member Ahmad Tibi said the opposition could form a government “if it has the courage.”
If no one can build a coalition, Israel could face yet another election. Until a new government is sworn in, Netanyahu’s government stays in place on a caretaker basis.
Why it matters in Canada
Israel’s next government will shape the war’s aftermath in Gaza, relations with Iran and the region, and policy in the West Bank. All of these are central to Canada’s Middle East policy and are closely followed by many Canadians. As of Thursday morning, Ottawa had not issued a formal statement on the result.
Sources: Central Elections Committee (via The Times of Israel), The Times of Israel, Ynet, The Jerusalem Post
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving multilingual diaspora communities across Canada. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
