"Forbidden to form government with them": Netanyahu drums up rhetoric, warns against alliance with Arab parties
Benjamin Netanyahu declares it forbidden to form a government with Arab parties as Israel faces a complex coalition battle after elections.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has intensified his political rhetoric, declaring that it is "forbidden" to form a government coalition with Arab political parties. This defiant stance comes as the nation grapples with the aftermath of the national elections, leaving the Prime Minister in a precarious position to secure a majority in the Knesset.
Netanyahu's Hardline Stance
Taking to the social media platform X, Netanyahu shared a curated compilation of videos featuring statements from various Arab political leaders and lawmakers. The video included excerpts from figures such as Ahmad Tibi, Iman Khatib-Yasin, Mansour Abbas, Sami Abu Shehadeh, Ofer Cassif, Yousef Jabareen, and Ayman Odeh.
The Prime Minister used these clips to highlight the Arab leaders' advocacy for the Palestinian cause—a position that right-wing Jewish factions characterize as anti-national. By broadcasting these remarks, Netanyahu has signaled a firm refusal to entertain any alliance with these factions, regardless of the numbers required to form a government.
A Fragile Bloc: Internal Fractures
Despite his public resolve, Netanyahu faces a daunting mathematical challenge. While the pro-Netanyahu bloc secured 53 seats, they fall short of the majority needed to govern. Furthermore, the unity of his own camp is under threat.
Reports from Israel's N12 news indicate that Haredi (Orthodox Jews) newspapers, including Hamodia and Hamashbiz, have suggested that Haredi parties wish to be viewed as independent entities rather than part of a predefined "Netanyahu bloc." Specifically, a source within the Torah Judaism party stated that they do not belong to any specific bloc.
The current seat projections for these key players are as follows:
- United Torah Judaism (UTJ): 7 seats
- Shas: 6 seats
While it appears that Otzma Yehudit, led by Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and Religious Zionism, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are unlikely to abandon Netanyahu, the hesitation from the Haredi parties complicates his path to power.
Lapid Claims a "Points Victory"
Opposition Leader and B'Yachad No. 2 Yair Lapid has seized on these developments, declaring a victory for the anti-Netanyahu forces. In a detailed post on X, Lapid argued that the Prime Minister has no viable path to forming a stable government.
Lapid pointed to the voter turnout of 77.7 per cent—the highest since 1999—as a sign of public engagement. He broke down the numbers to illustrate Netanyahu's weakness:
"Netanyahu got 53 seats. A crash. Even from that small number, 13 seats belong to parties that declare they aren't Zionist. That leaves him 40. That's what he's got. No matter what he does, he has nowhere to pull a government from."
While admitting that the opposition did not secure an outright majority, Lapid described the result as a "points victory" rather than a "knockout," urging his supporters to remain patient as the grueling process of coalition negotiations begins.
The Final Tally: 26th Knesset Results
The Central Elections Committee has published the final results for the 26th Knesset, which is set to be sworn in on November 10. The distribution of seats reveals a deeply divided political landscape:
- Likud (Netanyahu): 27 seats
- Yashar: 21 seats
- B’Yachad: 12 seats
- Joint List: 11 seats
- Democrats: 8 seats
- Ra’am: 8 seats
- Yisrael Beytenu: 7 seats
- United Torah Judaism: 7 seats
- Otzma Yehudit: 7 seats
- Shas: 6 seats
- Religious Zionism: 6 seats
In total, the pro-Netanyahu bloc holds 53 seats, the anti-Netanyahu bloc holds 48, and the Arab factions hold 19. With the final voter turnout confirmed at 77.9 per cent, Israel now enters a period of intense political maneuvering to determine who will lead the government.