Israeli Politicsupdated 1h ago3 min read
Archive photo · 29 November 2022Netanyahu’s Bloc Wins 53 Seats, Opposition Led by Gadi Eisenkot Wins 48 in Israel Election
5 West Asian4 Western Mainstream1 OtherPhoto: Ranbar, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Netanyahu bloc wins 53 seats but lacks outright majority in parliament. Opposition led by Eisenkot wins 48 seats, insufficient to form government.
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No Majority After Final Tally
Israel’s Central Election Committee published final results showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc winning 53 seats, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48 and the two Arab lists won 19 seats in the 120-member Knesset. The final tally also showed that 5,716,665 votes were counted, with 5,690,778 considered valid, and the committee said eleven parties surpassed the electoral threshold of 3.25% to obtain seats, requiring 184,947 votes. Netanyahu’s bloc obtained 53 seats compared to 48 for the opposition block and 19 for the two Arab lists, leaving Netanyahu eight seats short of an absolute majority.
The BBC reported that Netanyahu’s current bloc appeared to fall short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, even as analysts warned the trend could change as remaining ballots were counted. The New York Times said the final vote count confirmed that neither Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition nor the main opposition alliance won enough votes to form a government, setting up weeks of jockeying and political uncertainty.
Competing Claims and Probes
Israel’s election process moved into coalition talks after vote counting completed, with the opposition exploring options as Netanyahu’s bloc remained short of a majority. Al Jazeera reported that Netanyahu’s Likud continued to amplify unsubstantiated allegations that Arab-led parties had “stolen” the election, claims that were rejected, while the head of the Central Elections Committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, said “serious suspicions” of foreign interference had been brought to him in a letter to the Shin Bet security agency. Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari rejected accusations on X, insisting, “We categorically deny allegations that Qatar has interfered in Israeli elections or funded any activities intended to influence their outcome.”
BBC correspondent Yolande Knell reported that Netanyahu told supporters, “We must form a strong national government of the right,” while Eisenkot told his Yashar party, “The coalition of failure has lost the people’s trust.” The BBC also said Eisenkot would have difficulty obtaining a parliamentary majority without Arab-majority parties in Israel, and it described Arab-led Israeli parties as potentially decisive if other parties were willing to join forces.
Herzog’s Role and Legal Stakes
President Isaac Herzog faced a pivotal decision after the final results, as the New York Times said he would decide who had the best shot at assembling a majority and ask that person to try to form a government.
The New York Times reported that the committee said the results were subject to potential “minor corrections” before submission to Herzog on Nov. 4, and it said parties could file complaints and legal challenges until Nov. 18.
The legal framework in the Jerusalem Administrative Affairs Court could reshape the outcome if foreign funding and election bribery suspicions were proven, because the JPost legal explainer said Section 86 of the Knesset Elections Law allows annulment of election results and even orders new elections throughout the country.
The JPost explainer also said the court may annul elections in their entirety or at a particular polling station and order them to be held again, and it added that an election appeal will not delay the work of the Knesset.
Al Jazeera described the next steps as negotiations between political groups after the Central Elections Committee announces and certifies the election results by Wednesday, with the opposition bloc unable to form a governing coalition without the support of Arab-led parties.