Israeli Elections
Netanyahu remains 8 seats short of a Knesset majority as Eisenkot-led bloc secures 48 seats and Arab parties 19.
The country’s next government will depend on whether its political leaders can reconcile their competing commitments, or whether voters will again be asked to resolve a deadlock that negotiations could not.
“You meet people who think Netanyahu has been an extraordinary wartime leader, something no American I know would dare speak out loud, but still want him gone,” Reuven Fenton told JNS. “You meet others, who hold him responsible for Oct. 7 but don’t see a credible alternative.”
“They will push legislation very hard to end the Iran war, and it’s not inconceivable that they could get a fair amount of Republican support for that,” William Galston of Brookings told JNS.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister said that the Knesset must form “a strong national right-wing government.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, security and the battle for the nation’s right.
Islamist and Palestinian-nationalist parties test opposition’s red lines ahead of the Oct. 27 election.
Party leader Yair Golan is a polarizing figure in Israeli politics, even as his party attempts to translate its ideological platform into political influence within a broader opposition alliance.
Passing a comprehensive draft law to shield yeshivah students from compulsory military service is the central demand of both lists.
Avigdor Liberman’s movement seeks secular right-wing role in post-Netanyahu government.
Itamar Ben Gvir campaigns on security, sovereignty and tougher anti-terror laws.
The joint slate is dominated by RZP candidates, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich first and former Likud MK Moshe Feiglin second.
Hendel and Zelekha pair military-service reform with economic overhaul.
Ofer Winter’s party seeks to reshape the Jewish state’s right from within.
The smaller parties could sway the election even if they fail to enter the Knesset.
Record turnout underscores faith in the democratic process as the results reshape the political landscape.
Israel’s president urged a full investigation into suspected foreign interference, but cautioned against tarnishing Arab voters as a community.
Updated results show Likud remaining the largest party and Netanyahu’s bloc in front, though still short of a clear governing majority.
“We must no longer accept Netanyahu’s racist division between Jewish votes and Arab votes,” said Yair Golan.
Netanyahu says that, together with the U.S. president, Israel has a “historic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to eliminate the Iranian threat.
Partial results projected Netanyahu’s bloc securing the most seats, with Likud the largest party, albeit without a clear path to a governing majority.
