29.10.2026 12:35
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party Likud, which suffered a defeat in the elections against the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot, resorted to a lie. In a statement from the party, it was said, "In the elections in Israel, votes were stolen by Arab parties."
Vote counting is continuing after Israel's general elections held yesterday. According to the Israeli Central Elections Committee, 85.6 percent of the votes have been counted so far. According to exit polls, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc, made up of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties, won 53 seats in the 120-seat parliament. The opposition bloc led by former Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot secured 48 seats. The Arab parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, consisting of the Joint List and Ra'am, reached a record level with 19 seats.
NETANYAHU'S PARTY: VOTES WERE STOLEN BY ARAB PARTIES
After the results, Netanyahu's party resorted to lies. In a statement from the Likud Party, "Votes in Israel's elections were stolen by Arab parties." it was said.
NEITHER THE RULING NOR THE OPPOSITION BLOC CAN REACH 61 SEATS
If the official results are like this, both blocs are expected to start efforts to form a coalition, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to give the mandate to form the government to the candidate with the strongest chance of forming a government. If both sides fail, Israel is expected to go to the polls again within a few months, while there is also a possibility that the country will be dragged into a political crisis similar to the 2019-2022 period, when five elections were held.
ARAB PARTIES IN A KEY POSITION
Eisenkot's opposition bloc and the Arab parties have so far secured a total of 67 seats. The Joint List could play a decisive role in efforts to form a government by providing parliamentary support from outside the coalition. Joint List Chairman Yousef Jabareen stated that any party that wants to replace the Netanyahu government must cooperate with the Arab parties. Jabareen said, "Anyone who wants to present a concrete and real alternative to Netanyahu's bloody government will have to talk to us to open the way for the change that the Israeli people yearn for. It will either be a continuation of racism, exclusion and supremacy, or a real Jewish-Arab partnership." Jabareen stated that his party is ready to pave the way to topple the Netanyahu, Ben Gvir and Smotrich government.
ARAB PARTIES ARE HOLDING TALKS WITH THE ANTI-NETANYAHU BLOC
In a statement, Arab MP and Ta'al party chairman Ahmad Tibi confirmed that the Arab-led parties' alliance, the Joint List, consisting of the Ta'al, Balad and Hadash parties, has held talks with the anti-Netanyahu bloc on forming an alternative government. Tibi said the Joint List is ready to help the "change bloc" that would replace Netanyahu, but that it is unlikely to formally join a government coalition. Pointing to the election results, Tibi said, "We prevented the possibility of Netanyahu forming a government. Our people want us to influence the shape of the political system after the elections." Saying, "We will probably not be an organic part of this government," Tibi noted that other arrangements are also possible.
Yair Golan, leader of the center-left Democrats Party, which is part of the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot, also called on his allies to stop refusing to cooperate with the Arab parties. In a post on the social media platform X, Golan said, "We must no longer accept the racist distinction Netanyahu makes between Jewish votes and Arab votes."