-Friday World Oct 31,2026
No bloc has been able to secure a majority, and for the first time, Arab parties have emerged as the kingmakers. Meanwhile, hundreds of people have taken to the streets in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa, demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's resignation and a joint Jewish-Arab government. The posters in their hands read - "Arab, Jewish, we will win together" and "Only when Arabs and Jews are together, we will win."
#Election Results - Netanyahu's Bloc 8 Seats Short of Majority
According to the final results released by Israel's Central Elections Committee, the math of the 120-seat Knesset is as follows:
Netanyahu's right-wing bloc - 53 seats: Likud got 27 seats, down from 32 last time. Shas got 6, Otzma Yehudit 7, United Torah Judaism 7, and Religious Zionism 6. This bloc has crashed from 68 to 53.
Opposition Change Bloc - 48 seats: Former army chief Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party got 21, Naftali Bennett's Bayachad 12, Yair Golan's Democrats 8, and Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu 7.
Arab Parties - 19 seats: Joint List got 11 and Mansour Abbas's Ra'am party got 8 seats. In 2022, both together had only 10 seats; now it's 19. This is a historic surge.
61 seats are needed to form a government, which no one has. Voter turnout was 77.9%, the highest since 1999.
#Why Did People Take to the Streets?
The protest, which started on the evening of October 28 from Mesila Park in Tel Aviv, has now spread across the country. Protesters say Netanyahu has refused to leave the chair despite the security failure of October 7, 2023, corruption cases, and now being in a minority.
One young woman who joined the protest said, "We are on the streets so we can say - YES to a joint Jewish-Palestinian government!"
Opposition leader Yair Golan has openly called for a partnership with Arab parties. Golan has also held government formation meetings with Gadi Eisenkot, Mansour Abbas, and Yair Lapid.
Mathematically, if Eisenkot's 48-seat bloc and the Arab parties' 19 seats combine, it becomes 67 seats, which is 6 more than the majority.
#Netanyahu's Response - "It Is Forbidden to Form a Government With Them"
Netanyahu has outright rejected this demand. He shared a video on X and said, "It is forbidden to form a government with them."
The Likud party has alleged without evidence that Arab parties stole the election with foreign help. The head of the Election Commission, Justice Noam Sohlberg, said complaints of a "serious concern" of foreign interference have been received, but no evidence has been found yet.
Netanyahu has also met with his ally Ben-Gvir to try to block an Arab-backed alternative government. Meanwhile, Lapid said, "Netanyahu got 53 seats, this is a crash. Of these, 13 seats are from parties that don't even consider themselves Zionist, so he is left with only 40. He has no way to form a government."
#What Happens Next? Israel Has 4 Options
1. Opposition Government with Arab Support: A government led by Eisenkot with 48+19=67. This is the easiest math, but parties like Naftali Bennett and Lieberman are not ready to accept a government dependent on Arab parties.
2. Minority Government: Eisenkot's government runs with outside support from Arab parties. Mansour Abbas told Channel 12 that the chances of this are very low.
3. Unity Government: Likud and the opposition form a government together. But there is a deep rift between the two sides over October 7 and corruption issues.
4. Fresh Elections: If the candidate appointed by President Isaac Herzog fails to form a government in 28+14 days, Israel will go to fresh elections in early 2027.
The new Knesset will take oath on November 10 and the election results must be certified by November 4. Before that, the opposition and Arab parties together can win the Speaker's election, which will bring the parliamentary agenda into their hands.
In Israel's history, only once in 2021 did the Ra'am party become part of the government, which collapsed within a year. This time, Arab voters have made it clear by voting in record numbers that they don't want to be just spectators, but decision-makers.
The slogan is now echoing not just on posters, but also in the corridors of the Knesset - Only when Arabs and Jews stand together, we will win.
Sajjadali Nayani ✍
Friday World Oct 31,2026
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