Netanyahu’s Coalition Falls Short as Arab Parties Gain Ground
WHO:
Fox News - Opposition negotiator Yair Lapid said, “Now comes the truly hard part: trying to form a government,” and urged supporters to be patient while negotiations proceeded privately.
Fox News - Israeli political commentator Amit Segal identified a Likud–Yashar unity government or another election as the two principal remaining possibilities.
PBS - Tel Aviv resident Beny Engalrd said Israel’s multiparty system offered “options for all of this,” unlike the United States, which has “only two parties.”
PBS - Jaffa resident Miri Sklair supported cooperation with Arab parties, calling them “a legitimate population in the state of Israel.”
PBS - Former Arab village mayor Issa Jaber Abu-Ghosh said Israel was not a “real democracy” if its politics remained divided between Jews and Arabs.
Fox News - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-led bloc won 53 seats; opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition alliance won 48; the two predominantly Arab parties won 19 in the 120-seat Knesset.
Fox News - Likud won 27 seats, Eisenkot’s Yashar party won 21, and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad won 12.
KSL News - Netanyahu’s bloc had controlled 68 seats at its peak in the previous parliament; his main opposition won 48 seats and Arab-led parties won 19.
Euronews.com - Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud was the largest party with 27 seats; the Arab parties secured a record 19 seats between them.
Fox News - Rabbi Dov Lando reportedly instructed Degel HaTorah lawmakers, part of United Torah Judaism, to open discussions with the opposition. United Torah Judaism Chairman Yaakov Asher’s office denied that such an instruction had been issued.
KSL News - Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg said “serious suspicions” of foreign interference had been brought to him; election committee acting director general Dean Livne said reports about the probe were “entirely unfounded.”
KSL News - Netanyahu’s main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, said Likud was trying to delegitimize the results: “They are doing this because they lost.”
Euronews.com - Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas reportedly denied wrongdoing and said he would welcome an investigation.
WHAT:
Fox News - Opposition negotiators had considered cooperation with ultra-Orthodox parties before the election; a possible arrangement could involve compromises on military service and outside support from Arab lawmakers.
Fox News - Lapid wrote that government negotiations take place “in small rooms, slowly, away from the cameras.”
Fox News - The article reported that Washington’s regional priorities could factor into forming a future government; it said no specific U.S. role in coalition negotiations had been confirmed.
PBS - Arab citizens make up 20% of Israel’s population.
Fox News - The final count left both major blocs short of the 61 seats required for a majority. Opposition parties may seek support from Arab or ultra-Orthodox lawmakers, or pursue a unity government.
KSL News - Netanyahu’s Likud said, “The elections in Israel have been stolen!” and alleged, without evidence, that interference sought to facilitate a “foreign takeover of the Knesset,” “the Islamization of Israel” and the toppling of the right-wing government.
KSL News - The Shin Bet said its investigation was not meant to “cast aspersions” on an entire population that voted “in a democratic and lawful manner.” The election committee said allegations of systematic electoral-integrity violations were baseless.
Fox News - Channel 12 reported that some ultra-Orthodox party figures considered allowing an Eisenkot-led minority government to survive with outside support. Party figures were quoted as saying, “Our votes are not in Netanyahu’s pocket.”
KSL News - Arab-led parties could support opposition efforts to replace the Knesset speaker; Joint List lawmaker Ahmad Tibi said his party would support the opposition bloc’s candidate.
Euronews.com - Under Israeli law, a first candidate assigned to form a government gets 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension; a second candidate gets up to 28 days, and a third, if requested by the Knesset, gets 14 days.
WHERE:
Fox News - The election was for Israel’s Knesset; reporting on coalition discussions took place in Tel Aviv.
KSL News - Rallies supporting a coalition that includes Arab-led parties were held in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
WHY:
Fox News - Ultra-Orthodox party discussions reportedly sought an arrangement protecting yeshiva students amid disputes over mandatory military service. Eisenkot had pledged to expand conscription among ultra-Orthodox men.
Fox News - Mohammed Majadla said Ra’am and the Joint List were prepared to use their parliamentary influence to prevent Netanyahu’s return and avoid another election.
KSL News - The opposition accused Netanyahu of demonizing Arab citizens to delegitimize the election; the article said a potential Arab-backed government could give Eisenkot support to replace Netanyahu.
KSL News - Critics said losing office could expose Netanyahu to accountability over corruption allegations and an inquiry into security failures surrounding the Hamas-led attack.
HOW:
KSL News - Sohlberg asked the Shin Bet to investigate claims of foreign interference after saying he could not verify them; the election committee said the investigation relied on classified intelligence and sought Shin Bet findings within a week.
Euronews.com - President Isaac Herzog will consult elected party leaders, then assign government formation to the candidate he considers most likely to secure sufficient support.
Fox News - If Eisenkot fails to form a government, Herzog could assign the task to another candidate; failure of successive attempts could lead to another election.
Fox News - The election committee reported final voter turnout of 77.9%.
KSL News - Qatar denied allegations of election interference, calling them “ridiculous and dangerous.”
(UPDATED October 31, 2026 01:03 UTC)
Israel’s election left Netanyahu’s bloc short of power, with no majority emerging. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot faces difficult coalition talks, including potential Arab and ultra-Orthodox support. A unity government or another election remains possible as parties negotiate privately.
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(UPDATED October 30, 2026 16:03 UTC)
Israel’s election left Prime Minister Netanyahu’s bloc short of a governing majority, with 53 seats. The opposition won 48 seats, while Arab-led parties secured a record 19. Coalition talks now begin, as officials investigate disputed interference claims that election authorities reject.