Herzog begins government talks after Netanyahu's narrow…

Herzog begins government talks after Netanyahu's narrow victory

01.11.2026 12:01 HotInfo

Israeli President Isaac Herzog is beginning talks with the leaders of parties that entered the Knesset. Consultations on forming a new government are taking place after the publication of the final results of the parliamentary elections, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's camp narrowly won. Index.hu ↗

Netanyahu's governing bloc will hold 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Opposition parties grouped around Gadi Eisenkot won 48 seats, and Arab political parties won 19. Neither bloc thus has the majority needed to form a government on its own. ct24.ceskatelevize.cz ↗

The result opens the door to complicated coalition negotiations. Netanyahu may seek support outside his existing camp, while Eisenkot's opposition will try to build an alternative majority. Agreements with the Arab parties are also a possibility, though these would not necessarily mean their direct entry into the government. France24 ↗

The elections also revealed a sharp political division in Israel. Netanyahu's camp remained the strongest but did not achieve a decisive victory that would allow it to continue without new partners. The opposition, therefore, despite coming second, remains in play for forming a government. RTE News ↗

Eyal Waldman, a philanthropist close to Eisenkot, said that ultra-Orthodox parties could also emerge in the negotiations. The president's consultations are meant to determine who will receive the mandate to form a government and whether the post-election stalemate can be broken. La Repubblica ↗