As Netanyahu falls short of majority, Likud claims polls 'stolen' by Arab parties

A parliamentary majority means controlling at least half the seats needed to govern. In Israel's 120-member Knesset, that threshold is 61 seats. Netanyahu's bloc has 53, so it falls eight seats short of governing on its own.

This shortfall makes other parties essential. Netanyahu must persuade additional lawmakers or parties to support a coalition, while opponents try to assemble a different majority. The result is therefore inconclusive rather than a clear governing victory.

The article says Arab-led parties are projected to hold 19 seats, giving them potential influence in negotiations. Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected cooperation with Arab-led parties, so forming a government could require difficult political compromises. The opposition also needs to overcome differences before it can replace him.

The Central Elections Committee's preliminary results put Netanyahu's bloc at 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. The opposition bloc, led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, has 48 seats. These figures show that neither major camp can govern without support from other parties.

The Arab-led Ra'am and Joint List parties are projected to win a combined 19 seats. Their projected total is larger than the gap separating either major bloc from the 61 seats required for a majority. That makes their representation politically important despite their position outside the two main blocs.

The figures remain preliminary, and the election committee is reviewing complaints about possible irregularities. Until the results and coalition talks develop, the seat totals point to a contested government-formation process rather than a settled outcome.

Likud claimed Arab-led parties committed serious offences to mobilise voters and influence the election result. Its allegations included bribery, threats, violence, forgeries, voter intimidation, and the use of prohibited software. The party described the election as stolen, but the article presents these as allegations.

Specific claims included cash distributed with Ra'am ballot slips, threats against polling committee members, multiple voters entering booths together, double voting, and mismatches between ballot envelopes and registered voters. Likud said it was submitting hundreds of testimonies and other material.

The party requested investigations by the police and Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security agency. It also asked the Central Elections Committee for action. The committee said it was reviewing Likud's request through its regular election-integrity monitoring process, alongside complaints from other parties.

Israel's Central Elections Committee is the body handling complaints about the conduct of the election and possible errors in its results. In this case, it activated its election-integrity monitoring process, which it described as a standard procedure followed during every election.

The committee said parties could identify polling stations where results needed further scrutiny. Its acting director general, Dean Livne, had informed all electoral lists about this procedure on October 25, two days before polling. This gave parties a formal route to raise concerns about specific stations.

The committee received Likud's request for a probe and said it was reviewing it as part of the operation. The article does not report a final finding on the allegations. For now, complaints from Likud and other parties are being assessed rather than treated as proven wrongdoing.

The projected 19 seats could become decisive because neither major bloc has enough seats to reach 61 alone. Netanyahu's bloc has 53, while the opposition has 48. Adding support from Arab-led parties could therefore change which side can assemble a governing majority.

The opposition bloc and the Arab-led parties together have 67 projected or preliminary seats, although cooperation is not automatic. Democrats leader Yair Golan urged the opposition to consider working with Arab representatives. Joint List leaders also indicated they were prepared to help end Netanyahu's rule.

The political obstacle is substantial. Likud portrayed cooperation with Arab parties as illegitimate during the campaign, and Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected such cooperation. Arab parties say they want equal partnership, so negotiations would depend on overcoming political differences and agreeing on a governing arrangement.

When no major bloc reaches 61 seats, parties can seek a coalition or an agreed support arrangement. The article presents cooperation between the opposition and Arab representatives as one possible route to replacing Netanyahu. It also shows that the decisive issue is political agreement, not simply the raw seat totals.

Democrats leader Yair Golan said the opposition should consider working with Arab representatives. The opposition's 48 seats and the Arab-led parties' projected 19 would together reach 67. Joint List leaders Yousef Jabareen and Ahmad Tibi also signalled openness to supporting an opposition-led government.

Such an arrangement would still require the parties to overcome differences and agree on how to govern. Netanyahu's bloc could also seek support from other parties during coalition negotiations, but the article gives no final agreement. The immediate reality is an open contest between competing coalition possibilities.

Israel's proportional parliamentary system turns votes for parties into seats in the Knesset. Because seats are distributed among multiple parties, one party or bloc may fall short of a majority. A government then needs agreements with other parties to reach at least 61 of the 120 seats.

This election illustrates the mechanism. Netanyahu's bloc has 53 seats, the opposition has 48, and Arab-led parties are projected to hold 19. No major bloc reaches 61 alone, so parties must negotiate support, shared priorities, or a coalition arrangement before governing.

Several parties can widen representation but complicate decision-making. They may disagree over policy, leadership, or cooperation with other groups. Here, the opposition and Arab parties could together exceed the threshold, but the article says they must overcome differences. That makes a majority numerically possible without guaranteeing a stable government.