Netanyahu fights to stay relevant as Israel’s opposition closes in

What the report says

Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to hold on to influence as Israel’s opposition moves closer to forming a government after October’s election, according to Al Jazeera. The article says President Isaac Herzog has asked former military chief Gadi Eisenkot to try to assemble a coalition, while Netanyahu, the incumbent prime minister and Likud leader, has publicly shifted from a hard-edged campaign to calls for national unity. In parallel, he has warned in social media posts and videos that a government backed by Arab parties could endanger the state, framing the moment as a national emergency.

The report says the new Knesset is set to convene on Tuesday, and that negotiations are likely to hinge on ultra-Orthodox parties, which have often supported Netanyahu in exchange for policies protecting yeshiva students from military service. Al Jazeera notes signs that one of those parties, United Torah Judaism, may be open to backing Eisenkot instead, which could help the opposition reach a working majority in the 120-seat parliament.

Netanyahu’s position is weakened not only by the election result but also by his legal and political vulnerabilities. He is facing corruption charges, and his leadership is under scrutiny over the failures surrounding the October 7 Hamas attack and the war that followed. Al Jazeera says the first days of the new parliament are expected to be especially tense, with lawmakers likely to press for an inquiry into those failures. The broader significance is that Israel’s post-war political landscape may now be shaped by accountability demands as much as by coalition bargaining.