No clear mandate projected in Israel election: What’s next?

What the report says

Exit polls from Israel’s legislative election point to a hung parliament, with no party or bloc projected to win the 61 seats needed to form a government in the 120-seat Knesset. The results, released by Israeli television networks on Tuesday, showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-led bloc around 50 seats, while the opposition alliance associated with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot was projected at 52 or 53. Arab-led parties were forecast to win 18 seats and could become influential in coalition talks.

According to Al Jazeera, the outcome sets up a potentially long period of negotiations and bargaining over who will lead the next government. Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to consult party leaders after the final count, due on November 4, and then ask the person he judges most likely to assemble a coalition to try first. That candidate would have 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to secure enough support; if that fails, other lawmakers could be given additional chances before the Knesset could be dissolved and new elections called.

Party leaders reacted quickly. Eisenkot said the vote reflected a lack of confidence in Netanyahu, while opposition leader Yair Lapid described the result as a major defeat for the prime minister’s camp. Likud’s Gideon Saar said it was too early to celebrate. A Palestinian political analyst quoted by Al Jazeera said the projections suggest Netanyahu’s bloc has weakened, but also that forming an alternative majority may remain difficult.

The report places the vote in the context of Israel’s recent history of repeated election deadlock, including the 2019-20 cycle that ended in a short-lived power-sharing deal. Al Jazeera also noted that cooperation with Arab-led parties remains politically sensitive for the main blocs.