Israel Faces Political Deadlock After Inconclusive October Elections
Israel remains without a governing majority following the October 27 elections, leaving Arab political parties as potential king-makers in a divided Knesset.
Israel is in a state of political deadlock following the October 27 elections, with final certified results delayed. No single political bloc has secured the 61-seat majority required to form a government in the 120-member Knesset, leaving the nation in suspense amid ongoing instability from the war in Gaza and internal judicial conflicts.
Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party remain central to government formation, but they lack a public majority. To attract opposition figures Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman, Netanyahu may offer a rotating premiership, though both men have publicly rejected serving in a government he leads. Meanwhile, the ultra-Orthodox Shas party suffered significant losses, dropping from 11 to six seats.
Arab political parties, specifically Ra’am and the Joint List, have emerged as potential king-makers after securing 19 seats. This has created a divide within the Jewish opposition. Yair Golan and Gadi Eisenkot are open to cooperating with Arab parties to form a coalition and remove Netanyahu from power, while Bennett and Liberman oppose such arrangements. If a coalition cannot be reached, the country may face another election.
