Following the results of Israel’s 2026 parliamentary general elections, the country has once again become mired in political deadlock, with no single party securing a clear majority. Significantly, 61 seats are required to form a government and secure an absolute majority in Israel’s 120-member Knesset. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party and its coalition of other allied right-wing parties secured a total of 53 seats, while his own Likud Party secured 27. While the Likud Party emerged as the largest party in Parliament, Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition fell short of the magic number of 61 seats, falling eight seats short of a majority. Benjamin Netanyahu stated that his aim was to form a strong right-wing national government. Another highlight of this election was the victory of Arab-led parties, winning 19 seats. Arabs constitute approximately 21 per cent of Israel’s total population. This is a historic and best-ever performance for Arab parties in Israel’s history. Gadi Eizenkot’s main opposition coalition won 48 seats. It is believed that with no major coalition securing a majority, a long period of coalition negotiations and government formation is likely to ensue. These election results have certainly exposed deep divisions within Israeli society.
The significance of this election in Israel can be gauged from the fact that both Jewish and Arab voters participated in record numbers. Furthermore, many voters traveled from abroad, spending thousands of dollars to cast their ballots. One of the main reasons attributed to Netanyahu’s party and the right-wing coalition he led failed to secure an absolute majority is that the elections were held under a Prime Minister facing serious corruption charges. Furthermore, Netanyahu is accused of failing to protect Israel before October 7th. Opposition leaders and a large segment of society have demanded an investigation, but Netanyahu has never agreed to this investigation. Consequently, a significant segment of Israeli society does not rule out the possibility that the events of October 7th were a well-planned and state-sponsored conspiracy.
Now, various speculations are being made about the formation of a new government in Israel. Bringing together such diverse views and political interests into a single government is the biggest challenge facing Israeli politics. Will Netanyahu be willing to abandon his religious allies and form a coalition with right-wing leaders from the opposition bloc to form a government? And will those leaders who have long been Netanyahu’s opponents be willing to join him in a government? Is the opposition coalition willing to abandon a large part of its election promises and cooperate with Arab parties to oust Netanyahu from power? And will the Arab parties risk joining a government that could collapse within a few months? These questions are of paramount importance to Israel’s political future.
Meanwhile, senior Israeli left-wing Democrat leader Yair Golan has appealed to the opposition bloc to partner with Arab parties. He stated, “We must no longer accept Netanyahu’s racist division between Jewish and Arab votes.” Judging by the election results and analysts’ views, it is clear that Netanyahu’s hard-line, polarizing, and overly aggressive image has caused him serious political damage. Since the Hamas attacks of October 2023, Israel has been in a constant state of war. Netanyahu also attempted to capitalize on “military successes” in Iran, Gaza, and Lebanon. However, a large segment of the country’s population was tired of the uncertainty of the on-going war, the failure to return hostages, and the country’s economic losses. This undermined Netanyahu’s image as an “invincible security provider.”
Netanyahu’s current coalition included far-right and radical Jewish leaders who promoted aggressive policies in the West Bank. This fuelled fears among Israel’s liberal, secular, and European-born Jewish citizens that this radicalism was eroding Israel’s democratic structure, leading to massive protests against him on the streets of Tel Aviv. Furthermore, during the election campaign, Netanyahu used aggressive rhetoric on social media to mobilize Jewish nationalists and accused Arab citizens of “stealing the election.” Instead of intimidating, Netanyahu’s aggressive stance united Arab voters, who turned out in record numbers to vote against Netanyahu and his coalition. Even during this time of war, Netanyahu’s exemption from compulsory military service for radical Orthodox Jews, who have long been fighting on the front lines, also resonated with ordinary Israelis. The opposition made this a major election issue.
The Israeli election results clearly indicate that while Netanyahu may have retained his Likud party as the largest party, his aggressive and polarizing politics mobilized his opponents and the country’s Arab minority to such an extent that he fell eight seats short of a clear majority. Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that those seeking change in Israel and those who disagree with his hard-line stance have shattered the myth of his “invincibility.”
By Author: Tanveer Jafri
(About the Author)
Author Tanveer Jafri is a columnist based in India.He is related with hundreds of most popular daily news papers/magazines and news portals in India and abroad. Jafri, Almost writes in the field of communal harmony, world peace, anti communalism, anti terrorism, national integration, national & international politics etc.He is a devoted social activist for world peace, unity, integrity & global brotherhood. Thousands of articles of the author have been published in different newspapers, websites & newsportals throughout the world. He is also a recipient of so many awards in the field of Communal Harmony & other social activities. (Email : tjafri1@gmail.com )
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