Netanyahu falls short of majority as Israel faces three possible paths to a new government

TEL AVIV, Israel - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition remained well short of a parliamentary majority Thursday as newly counted ballots showed a dramatic surge in support for Arab parties, potentially giving the opposition enough votes to challenge his control of parliament.With 93.8% of ballots counted as of 4 a.m.ET Thursday (10 a.m.

local time in Israel), including votes from the double-envelope count, Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc was projected to win 53 seats in Israel's 120-member Knesset, compared with 48 for the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot.The two predominantly Arab parties were projected to secure a combined 19 seats, bringing the potential anti-Netanyahu parliamentary majority to 67.The updated figures showed Netanyahu's Likud remaining the largest individual party with 26 seats, followed by Eisenkot's Yashar party with 21 and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's Beyachad party with 12.

The figures remain preliminary.NETANYAHU DEFIES EXIT POLLS AS VOTE SHIFTS IN HIS FAVOR, BUT MAJORITY REMAINS ELUSIVEA road sign stands in front of a large billboard featuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, in Ramat Gan on Oct.20, 2026.

(Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images)The results leave neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot with the 61 seats required to form a government independently, raising the prospect of difficult coalition negotiations or another election.The biggest shift came from Israel's Arab voters, whose turnout surged compared with previous elections, potentially reshaping the country's political balance.Arab voter participation reached approximately 80%, compared with 53.2% in the 2022 election, according to the Israel Democracy Institute.The 2026 figure remains preliminary.The Joint List was projected to win 11 seats, while Ra'am was projected to secure eight.

Together, their 19 seats would nearly double the Arab parties' representation from the 10 ...