Netanyahu's bloc holds 53 of 120 seats as Israel faces coalition math

Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition secured 53 seats in the Israeli parliament, according to final election results released on Friday. The main opposition bloc won 48 seats. Arab-led parties captured the remaining 19 seats. The Knesset has 120 seats total. Any governing majority requires 61 seats.

The Tuesday election ended Netanyahu's hold on a clear majority. He remains prime minister for now as he serves the longest tenure in Israeli history. Yair Lapid, a centrist politician, posted on X that the difficult phase is starting. He told Israelis to be patient. He confirmed that work is happening behind the current silence.

The next step is coalition building. Netanyahu must decide who to partner with. The opposition faces a choice. They can join forces with the Arab-led parties. Or they can align with Netanyahu in a potential unity government. No party has a clear path to power without negotiation.

Tensions rose before the results were official. Netanyahu and his Likud party accused Arab-led parties of stealing the vote. They suggested foreign help. The opposition called this a demonization of the 20% of the population that is Arab. Itamar Ben-Gvir's party lost seats. Ben-Gvir is the National Security Minister.

The head of the electoral commission, Judge Noam Sohlberg, said he received serious suspicions of foreign interference. He asked the Shin Bet security agency to investigate. He noted that he could not verify the claims himself. The Israeli press reported that Likud members pointed to Qatar. Qatar called the claims ridiculous and dangerous.

Dean Livne, the interim director-general of the electoral body, said the reports on the investigation were totally unfounded. He stated that the final results presented to the president would not change. He added that the investigation did not concern any specific sector of the population. The commission wants the Shin Bet conclusions within one week.

The results must be certified and presented to President Isaac Herzog next Wednesday. Herzog will then task a leader with forming a government. He could choose Netanyahu or another figure deemed suitable by party leaders. If no government forms, Israel will vote again in early 2027. Herzog said he will try to avoid that scenario. Members of the new Knesset are expected to take office on November 10.