Israel faces coalition impasse after election leaves no bloc with majority

Israel faces difficult coalition negotiations after the October 27 parliamentary election left neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s alliance nor its principal rivals with the 61 seats required to govern. The vote count gave Netanyahu’s bloc 53 seats, the main opposition alliance 48 and two Arab-led parties a combined 19. The numbers put the Arab-led parties in a potentially decisive position, but they do not by themselves create a coalition. Parties with sharply different positions would have to agree on governing together. Opposition politician Avigdor Lieberman has ruled out joining an alliance with Arab-led parties, highlighting one obstacle to a government without Netanyahu. Netanyahu remains prime minister during the negotiations. President Isaac Herzog is expected to consult political parties before asking a candidate to try forming a government. If no candidate succeeds, another election could eventually be necessary. The election also sparked unsupported allegations of systematic interference concerning Arab-led parties. Election authorities rejected the claim that the integrity of the overall vote had been systematically compromised. The challenge now is political rather than arithmetic alone: an available majority on paper will matter only if its members agree on a workable programme and a shared leadership. The new Knesset is expected to meet on November 10.