Israeli Politicsupdated 55m ago2 min read
Netanyahu Escalates Incitement Against Arab Parties After Israel Election Results Deny Majority
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Arab-led parties achieve historic gains, winning about 19 seats and becoming kingmakers. Neither Netanyahu nor his rival secure 61-seat majority; government formation remains uncertain.
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Netanyahu blocks Arab coalition
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu escalated his incitement against Arab parties after election results denied his camp a parliamentary majority, and Netanyahu posted on the platform X, “It is forbidden to form a government with them.” Netanyahu’s campaign followed election results that showed an increase in Arab representation in the Knesset, while the opposition with the support of Arab lawmakers could potentially form an alternative government that would oust him and relegate him to the opposition. Preliminary results indicated the Joint List and the United Arab List secured 19 out of the 120 seats in the Knesset, surpassing a previous record of 15 seats set in the 2020 elections.
“It is forbidden to form a government with them.”
The preliminary seat math left Netanyahu’s camp holding 53 seats compared to 48 for the opposition camp, and the sources said forming a government required the support of at least 61 members of parliament. Israeli President Isaac Herzog was set to begin consultations next week with the parties that won seats, with final election results expected to be announced on November 4.
Deadlock and competing claims
Election officials released final results showing Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc won 53 seats in Israel’s 120-member Knesset, while the bloc supporting his rival Gadi Eisenkot won 48 seats, leaving neither bloc with the 61 seats needed to form a government. The count was complete but results still needed certification and submission to President Isaac Herzog, who would then consult with party chairs and choose a candidate he thought had the best chance to form a government. Palestinian citizens of Israel voted in record numbers on Tuesday, and the sources said many hoped to oust Netanyahu and right-wing members of his coalition, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Mansour Abbas of Ra’am said his party had “no connection” to the conduct Netanyahu and other coalition members alleged, and Abbas urged a full investigation. Dean Livne, the acting director general of Israel’s Central Elections Committee, said in a published letter that there was “no basis for allegations of systematic violations of electoral integrity.”
Arab parties as kingmakers
Arab parties offered to help replace Netanyahu even without joining a new coalition, and the Joint List formally declared it was prepared to cooperate with the opposition to establish an alternative government. Joint List chairman Yousef Jabareen described the election results as a “historic day,” saying they demonstrated the growing political influence of Israel’s Arab citizens. Jabareen told Al Jazeera that removing Netanyahu from office was the Joint List’s immediate priority, and he said, “The first step is removing Netanyahu and the Knesset speaker.”
Netanyahu and his Likud party challenged the legitimacy of votes cast for Arab parties, while Eisenkot’s opposition bloc remained divided over whether it should rely on Arab lawmakers to form a government. Yair Golan of the Democrats called for a coalition “in partnership” with Arab parties, and he said, “We must no longer accept Netanyahu’s racist division between Jewish votes and Arab votes.”