Eisenkot Considers Arab Alliance as Likud Leads Without Majority

Israeli voters delivered a fractured mandate on Wednesday, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival Gadi Eisenkot unable to secure a parliamentary majority. With 85% of the vote counted, neither leader's bloc has the 61 seats required to form a government in the 120-seat Knesset. The stalemate has forced opposition parties to reconsider a historically sensitive option: partnering with Arab-led parties to unseat Netanyahu.

The final tallies show Likud holding 20.8% of the vote, a decline from its 23.4% share in 2022. Eisenkot's Yashar party trails with 16.1%, while Arab-led parties captured 14.9% of the vote. Local media projections place Likud and its allies at 53 seats, Yashar and its allies at 48, and Arab-led parties at 19. Counting of approximately 500,000 absentee ballots from military personnel and diplomats will continue through Thursday evening, according to Elad Naveh, control manager at the Central Elections Committee. Turnout reached 78%, the highest level since 1999.

Netanyahu, seeking to remain the country's longest-serving prime minister, has dismissed the idea of an Arab coalition. He warned against a "dangerous government" that might include parties whose constituents comprise 20% of the population. Eisenkot, the former military chief, has kept the door open for such an alliance, contingent on the Arab parties recognizing Israel as a Jewish state and labeling Hamas an extremist group. It remains unclear if other likely partners for Eisenkot, who have previously ruled out such an alliance, will change their minds to remove Netanyahu from office.

The election results reflect widespread unease over Netanyahu's far-right allies and military draft exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox population. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, lost support among voters who viewed his rhetoric toward Palestinians as extreme. Despite these setbacks, opponents failed to leverage the national grief from the October 7, 2023, attack to achieve a decisive victory. President Isaac Herzog, who is not required to task the leader of the largest party with forming a government, said the country must avoid another round of elections.

"After an election with such high voter turnout, it would be a mistake to hold another election," Eisenkot told supporters early Wednesday. "It is our duty, and my personal duty, to do everything possible to respect the will of the people." If no coalition emerges, Israel may face new elections early next year, following a period in which the country held five elections between April 2019 and November 2022.

Arab citizens of Israel, descendants of Palestinians who remained after the 1948 creation of the state, are now central to the coalition debate. Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab List, declared the party is no longer on the sidelines. In Nazareth, Awni Zoabi cited a return to rationality, noting that the Arabic language has often been treated as a crime in national discourse. The outcome of the coming negotiations will determine whether Israel forms a minority government or returns to the polls.

The debate extends beyond seat counts to questions of national identity and security. Netanyahu supporters argue he protects Israel's Jewish character against liberal elites, while critics cite his ongoing corruption trial and the prolonged hostage crisis. Eisenkot's backers point to his security credentials and the loss of his son in Gaza, arguing his coalition will bolster the judiciary and conscript ultra-Orthodox men. The days ahead will be defined by whether these competing visions can be bridged in a functioning government.