30.10.2026 15:10
Post-election government negotiations continue in Israel. While Netanyahu's bloc cannot secure a majority with 53 seats, the Arab parties with 19 seats play a key role. Netanyahu faces three difficult coalition options.
After the general elections held in Israel on October 27, political balances are being reshaped, and eyes have turned to the new government to be formed. The right-wing bloc led by Netanyahu won 53 seats, while the opposition led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48 seats. While neither bloc reached the 61 seats needed for a government, the Arab parties, which won 19 seats, rose to a key position. So, with whom can Netanyahu form an alliance? Can the opposition receive the support of Arab parties? Is Israel heading for a new election?
Netanyahu needs 8 seats to stay in power
According to the election results in Israel, the Likud Party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the largest party in parliament with 27 seats. The bloc formed by Likud together with its far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies remained at 53 seats.
This picture shows that Netanyahu cannot form a government with his current partners. To stay in power, he needs the support of at least 8 more lawmakers.
Netanyahu has three main options: to bring a party from the opposition to his side, to form a broad-based unity government with Eisenkot, or to benefit from possible splits within the opposition ranks.
However, all of these options contain serious political obstacles.
First scenario: Can Netanyahu and Eisenkot meet in the same government?
One of the most striking possibilities in coalition talks is an agreement between Netanyahu’s Likud Party and Eisenkot’s Yashar Party.
Likud has 27 and Yashar has 21 lawmakers. Since the two parties together reach 48 seats, it is not possible for them to form a government on their own.
On the other hand, if Yashar joins Netanyahu’s current 53-seat bloc, a strong majority of 74 seats emerges.
However, there is an important obstacle to this scenario: Eisenkot made harsh criticisms of Netanyahu’s administration during the election campaign and announced that he would not join a government formed under his leadership.
Therefore, reaching an agreement between the two leaders depends not only on sharing ministries but also on serious compromises on the premiership and political responsibility.
Second scenario: Can Bennett or Liberman save Netanyahu?
Another option for Netanyahu is to bring right-leaning parties within the opposition to his side.
The B’Yachad alliance led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett won 12 seats, while Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu Party won 7 seats.
If Bennett’s 12 lawmakers join Netanyahu’s 53-seat bloc, the total rises to 65 and the majority needed to form a government is secured.
If Liberman’s 7 lawmakers join, a total of 60 seats is obtained. Therefore, Liberman’s support alone is not enough.
However, both leaders have serious political disagreements with Netanyahu dating back to the past. In particular, differences of opinion on military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews are one of the important obstacles to such a coalition.
Third scenario: Can the opposition form a government with Arab parties?
The most discussed option after the elections is the opposition led by Eisenkot receiving the support of Arab parties.
The opposition bloc has 48 seats. The Joint List, representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, won 11 seats, while the Ra’am Party led by Mansour Abbas won 8 seats.
If the total 19 seats of these two parties are added to the opposition, it is possible to reach 67 lawmakers.
Thus, removing Netanyahu from power and forming a new government becomes mathematically possible.
However, political reality is much more complex than seat arithmetic.
In the opposition led by Eisenkot, there are political leaders who oppose the Arab parties joining the government or supporting it from outside.
In particular, Bennett and Liberman’s distant approach to cooperation with Arab parties makes the formation of a possible 67-seat alliance difficult.
Why are Arab parties in a key position?
One of the most striking results of the election was that Arab parties won a total of 19 seats, reaching a historic level of representation.
This result not only made these parties a strong opposition element in parliament but also moved them into a position where they could be influential in determining the new government.
However, there are differences in political approach between the Joint List and Ra’am.
Ra’am led by Mansour Abbas had previously been part of the coalition formed by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. This experience is considered an important example showing that Arab parties can be government partners in Israel.
On the other hand, the priorities of the Joint List and its relations with other parties differ.
Therefore, it is not certain that the 19 seats won by the Arab parties will act as a single political bloc.
Can a government be formed with Likud without Netanyahu?
Another possibility discussed in coalition bargaining is the formation of a broad-based government in which Netanyahu is not prime minister but Likud is included.
According to assessments in the Israeli press, a Likud coalition without Netanyahu is also being considered among the options within Eisenkot’s party.
For this scenario to materialize, a change in leadership within Likud would need to occur or the party would need to agree on a name other than Netanyahu.
For now, there is no clear sign that such a development will take place.