17 Seats Leave Israeli Blocs Without a Majority

Neither the governing nor the opposition bloc secured a majority in Israel's Knesset following Tuesday's election.

With nearly 80 percent of votes counted by Wednesday afternoon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition held 54 seats. The opposition alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot held 49 seats. A majority requires 61 of the 120 available seats.

The Arab-dominated Ra'am and Joint List parties combined for 17 seats. This total is sufficient to grant a majority to either major bloc for the appointment of a speaker, the passage of legislation, and the formation of a government. Turnout reached 77.7 percent of eligible voters, the highest level recorded since 1999. Estimates suggest turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel was approximately 80 percent.

President Isaac Herzog will consult with party leaders regarding their preferred prime minister. He will then assign the task of forming a government to the candidate he believes has the best chance of success. The designated candidate has 28 days to form a cabinet, with a possible 14-day extension. If that process fails, the mandate may transfer to another member of parliament. If that also fails, the Knesset will be dissolved and new elections will be held while the current cabinet serves as caretakers. Official results are due to be published on November 4.

Roi Zur, a lecturer at Essex University who studies Israeli voting behavior, attributed the surge in Arab voter turnout to the minority's treatment under the Likud-led government. He noted that the presence of just two well-organized lists improved mobilization, particularly for the Islamist Ra'am party. Critics described campaigns from both major blocs as profoundly racist. Likud petitioned to bar the Joint List from running, while Naftali Bennett stated there was no mandate to govern with Arab parties after the October 7 attack.

Former government adviser Daniel Levy outlined four potential paths forward. These include a new election, Likud drawing defectors from the right of the opposition, a Netanyahu-led unity government, or an Eisenkot-led minority government with Arab support. Levy considered the last option unlikely but stated the Arab parties' conditions would not be particularly high. Mairav Zonszein of the Crisis Group noted that Eisenkot's demands for a state commission of inquiry into October 7 and a universal draft for the ultra-Orthodox would make cooperation with Netanyahu's camp difficult.

Some observers raised the possibility that the government might seek military escalation, potentially against Iran, as a pretext for an emergency government. Daniel Bar Tal, a political psychologist at Tel Aviv University, described the moment as very challenging. He said many Israelis want change but do not want to cooperate with Arab parties.