Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has flatly ruled out forming a government with Arab-led parties after his bloc lost its majority in Israel’s election. His Likud party has also accused those parties of stealing the election.
The recent parliamentary election has left Israel in political deadlock. Since the coalition led by Netanyahu failed to win a majority, a fresh political row has broken out over the Arab-led parties.
In a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Netanyahu wrote: “Forming a government with them is forbidden.” With that, he made plain his opposition to any political alliance with the Arab-led parties.
After the Arab-led parties’ strong showing, Likud alleged that they had “stolen the election”. No evidence for the claim has been presented publicly.
Israel’s election authority has said it is investigating allegations of vote fraud. It has also said it found no evidence that the overall transparency or credibility of the election was deliberately undermined.
How the seats fell
A government needs at least 61 seats in the Knesset, Israel’s 120-seat parliament. In the final results, the alliance of Netanyahu’s Likud and its allies won 53 seats. The opposition camp led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48.
The Arab-led parties won 19 seats in all, their best result in the country’s electoral history. That makes them a significant force in the arithmetic of forming a government.
Why the Arab parties matter
For the opposition to remove Netanyahu and form a new government, the support of the Arab parties could be decisive. But the opposition alliance itself is divided over whether to form a government formally with the Arab parties or to govern with their backing.
Israel’s Arab minority makes up about 21 percent of the country’s population. Their greater turnout and representation in this election have reshaped the country’s power politics.
Analysts say the statements by Netanyahu and his allies may also be a tactic to pressure the opposition and head off any political cooperation with the Arab parties.
With no side winning a majority on its own, Israel faces a long period of political bargaining. The big question now is whether a new government will be formed with the support of the Arab-led parties, or whether the deadlock will force the country into yet another election.
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