Herzog Opens Gov’t Talks After Netanyahu Loses Majority — SkimNews
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- Isaac Herzog accepted the certified election results and launched consultations with party leaders to decide who to task with forming a government, marking a formal shift to coalition negotiations.
- Netanyahu’s coalition won 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, falling short of the 61 needed and weakening his claim to lead amid his unsubstantiated allegations of election theft.
- Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc secured 48 seats, but gained momentum when Ra’am, an Arab-led party, announced it would recommend him, bringing his potential support to 56 lawmakers.
- Ra’am backed Eisenkot, giving him a critical boost, while the Joint List, holding 11 seats, has not yet declared its position but may coordinate with or abstain to enable his majority.
- Israel’s elections commission found no evidence of irregularities after investigating fraud claims, rejecting Netanyahu’s narrative that Arab-led parties stole the election.
- Degel HaTorah, part of United Torah Judaism, said it would recommend neither candidate, signaling a rift with Netanyahu over failed legislation to exempt Haredi men from military service.
Why it matters: With Arab-led parties holding 19 record seats and directly backing Eisenkot, they now wield unprecedented influence in Israeli politics, while Netanyahu’s bloc is fractured and his election fraud claims discredited by official findings—making coalition math and legitimacy hinge on inclusion of parties he has publicly vilified.
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