The Storyup to 5 Nov
Israel's coalition talks after inconclusive election: Netanyahu and Eisenkot blocs vie for majority
Israel's late-October election left neither Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition with a 61-seat Knesset majority; reports put Netanyahu's bloc at 53 seats and Gadi Eisenkot's at 48. Netanyahu's Likud claimed the vote was "stolen", but President Isaac Herzog accepted the certified results on 4 November after no fraud was found, and began consultations with parties. Liberman, Bennett and Golan backed Eisenkot for prime minister, and Arab parties moved toward endorsing him. Shas leader Deri rejected an opposition bloc coalition without Likud, while United Torah Judaism was in talks with Eisenkot's camp. The ultra-Orthodox draft remained a central obstacle.
8 sources
- 4 Takeaways From the Incomplete Israeli Election — The New York Times
- Israel election results: Can you form Israel’s next coalition government? — Al Jazeera
- Israel faces weeks of coalition haggling as Netanyahu’s party claims election 'stolen' — CNBC
- Deri rejects opposition bloc coalition without Likud as UTJ eyes talks — The Jerusalem Post
- Netanyahu bloc falls short of majority as Israel enters coalition talks — Scripps News
- Israeli election leaves Netanyahu, opposition short of majority as coalition talks loom — The New Region
- Israel Election 2026 live updates: Bloc leaders on both sides hold talks — The Jerusalem Post
- Netanyahu emerges as biggest winner for now as Israeli coalition talks risk deadlock — 联合早报