Arab-led Parties Key to Netanyahu’s Fate After Vote and Opposition Shift

WHO:

NPR - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-led bloc and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot’s center-right grouping both fell short of the 61 seats needed to form a government.

NPR - Arab-led parties won 19 of the Knesset’s 120 seats; the Joint List alliance won 11 of those seats, while Ra’am campaigned on joining a governing coalition.

NPR - Jamal Zahalka, chairman of the High Follow-Up Committee, said, “We blocked the government of Netanyahu from continuing” and called the result “a historical achievement.”

NPR - President Isaac Herzog consulted political parties about whom they would support to form a coalition.

Yahoo - Eisenkot said he expected Herzog to give him the mandate to form a government; left-wing opposition leader Yair Golan said he was more optimistic than immediately after the election.

Yahoo - Opposition partner Avigdor Liberman said he would not work with Israeli-Arab parties but was open to talks with ultra-Orthodox Jews. His Yisrael Beiteinu party won seven seats.

Yahoo - United Torah Judaism and Shas together hold 13 seats. United Torah Judaism declined to recommend Netanyahu to form a government but did not endorse Eisenkot.

WHAT:

NPR - Arab-led parties’ votes increased 64% compared with the previous election, according to Israel’s Central Elections Committee.

NPR - Likud alleged Arab parties “stolen” the election through bribery, threats and forgery, and warned of a foreign takeover and the “Islamization of Israel.” The party made no evidence public; police found no basis for the claims, and election officials said there was no widespread fraud.

NPR - The Joint List said it could support an Eisenkot government from outside but would not join it, citing the war in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank.

Yahoo - Liberman said, “trying to have everything risks getting nothing.” Eisenkot said he remained committed to “mandatory service for all,” potentially through civilian work, and invited parties to join his government “now or at a later stage.”

WHERE:

NPR - The report describes the election and coalition negotiations in Israel and a commemoration in Kufr Qasim, an Israeli town with a Palestinian majority.

WHEN:

Yahoo - Herzog was expected to announce his choice on Sunday. The article says a candidate given the mandate would have 28 days to form a coalition, with a possible two-week extension; if that attempt failed, a second candidate would have 28 days without an extension.

NPR - If no candidate forms a coalition, the article says Israel will hold repeat elections next year.

WHY:

NPR - The article reports that anger over discrimination and Netanyahu’s far-right government contributed to increased Palestinian Arab participation. Palestinian citizens make up about 20% of Israel’s population.

Yahoo - Resentment over ultra-Orthodox Jews’ exemption from military service has grown as reservists serve repeated tours in Israel’s wars.

HOW:

NPR - Herzog’s coalition process involves selecting a candidate to receive a mandate to negotiate and form a government.

(UPDATED November 7, 2026 14:04 UTC)

Neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor Eisenkot’s opposition grouping secured enough seats to govern alone. Arab-led parties won 19 seats, boosting their influence in Israel’s coalition negotiations. President Herzog is consulting parties as Eisenkot seeks support to form a government.