Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a “strong, right-wing” government after preliminary election results left his coalition and the opposition competing to secure a parliamentary majority, while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot said voters had chosen change.
Netanyahu told supporters at Likud party headquarters in Jerusalem that right-wing parties had secured a “decisive majority” among the Zionist public and argued that Israel needed a national right-wing government. But early projections showed no clear winner, with the rival blocs unable to secure the numbers needed to govern independently.
The election, held on Tuesday, was the first since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and the subsequent wars involving Israel in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. More than 5.69 million people voted out of approximately 7.33 million eligible voters, according to the preliminary figures reported during counting.
Eisenkot, addressing supporters after polls closed, said millions of Israelis had voted for change and were tired of what he described as Netanyahu’s lies. He warned the prime minister against using Israel’s security for political purposes.
Coalition arithmetic puts Netanyahu’s future in doubt
Netanyahu’s Likud party remained the largest party in preliminary counting, but its position did not guarantee a path to a governing majority.
With more than 1.6 million votes counted, Likud had 22.24% of valid votes, followed by Eisenkot’s Yashar party with 15.41%, according to figures from Israel’s Central Elections Committee. The Palestinian-Israeli Joint List was in third place with 8.28%, narrowly ahead of Naftali Bennett’s party at 8.22%. The results remained preliminary.
Political analysts said Netanyahu could struggle to assemble a coalition even if his bloc emerged as the largest. Dov Waxman, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Al Jazeera that parties opposed to Netanyahu were projected to hold around 68 seats in the Knesset.
Waxman said Netanyahu could seek to delegitimize Arab-led parties as potential coalition partners, making it harder for Eisenkot to form a government. If the opposition leader failed, Israel could face another election, he said.
Netanyahu argued that a government dependent on Arab-led parties would endanger Israel, describing those parties as opposed to the country’s existence. His comments highlighted a central obstacle facing the opposition: assembling enough parliamentary support without alienating voters who opposed cooperation with Arab parties.
Arab parties gain leverage in closely divided election
Arab-led parties appeared poised to play a consequential role in government formation, with exit polls projecting significant gains in parliamentary representation.
The Joint List and the United Arab List, known as Ra’am, were projected to win a combined 18 Knesset seats in some exit polls, prompting celebrations in Arab towns including Lod, Kafr Manda and Tayibe.
Political analyst Omar Baddar told Al Jazeera that Palestinian citizens of Israel had mobilized to ensure their community would not be sidelined in determining the next government.
The prospect of Arab-party support could prove decisive if neither major bloc secured a majority. But analysts said the opposition’s pre-election promises not to depend on Arab-led parties could make coalition negotiations difficult.
Former Israeli ambassador Alon Pinkas said opposition voters would strongly oppose a deal with Likud, warning that a coalition arrangement between the rival camps would run counter to their preferences and risk political dysfunction.
Netanyahu highlights Iran and regional military campaign
Netanyahu used his election-night speech to portray Israel’s military campaigns as achievements and argue that the country faced a historic opportunity to confront Iran.
He said Israel had weakened Iran’s government and what he described as an existential threat to the country. He also referred to Israeli operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, saying security zones had been established deep inside those territories.
“Israel stands before a historic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, with our partner President Trump, to remove the existential threat from Iran once and for all,” Netanyahu said.
The remarks reinforced the centrality of national security and the Iran conflict in Netanyahu’s political message, even as the election results raised questions about his ability to remain in office.
Netanyahu said the final results would take another day or two to emerge and insisted that Likud remained Israel’s largest party. His opponents, however, argued that the vote had weakened his government and created an opportunity for a change in leadership.
Opposition leaders seek alliance to form new government
Eisenkot and other opposition figures said they were coordinating efforts to form a government, although the shape of a viable coalition remained uncertain.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett declared that Netanyahu had lost and said opposition parties were working together to establish a new government. He cautioned that the numbers could still change as counting continued.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said the side receiving more votes had both the ability and the obligation to form a government. He called for a “Zionist government” and said restoring public trust in state institutions and the rule of law would be among its priorities.
The opposition’s ability to translate its electoral performance into power will depend on the final seat distribution and whether parties can overcome their differences over coalition partners.
Election leaves Israeli policy direction uncertain
The close result leaves Israel facing a potentially prolonged period of coalition negotiations, with the possibility of another election if neither side can form a government.
Analysts cautioned that a change of prime minister would not necessarily produce a fundamental shift in Israeli policy toward Palestinians or in Washington’s support for Israel.
Stephen Zunes, who chairs the Middle East studies program at the University of San Francisco, told Al Jazeera that the United States would continue to support Israel regardless of who became prime minister. A government without Netanyahu could make criticism of US support for Israel more difficult, he argued, if a new administration were portrayed as more moderate.
For now, the preliminary results point to a divided electorate, with Netanyahu claiming a right-wing mandate and the opposition insisting that voters have opened the way for change. The final count and the coalition negotiations that follow will determine whether either side can turn that claim into a governing majority.
