Israel’s President Opens Coalition Talks After Certifying Election Results

As of Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026.

Israel has started the formal work of building its next government. President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday accepted the certified results of the Oct. 27 parliamentary election as legally binding and began consultations with party leaders, according to The Associated Press. The AP described the move as a blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to cast doubt on the vote, after his governing bloc lost its majority in the Knesset.

What the results show

According to AP figures, Netanyahu’s coalition won 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. His opponents, led by former general Gadi Eisenkot, won 48. Neither bloc reached the 61 seats needed for a majority on its own.

That leaves two Arab-led parties in a pivotal position. The Joint List won 11 seats and Ra’am won 8, the AP reported, after historic turnout gave Arab-led parties a record share of the parliament. Citizens of Palestinian descent make up about 20% of Israel’s population, according to the AP.

Fraud claims and the elections commission

Netanyahu and his supporters have repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that Arab-led parties stole the election, possibly with foreign help, the AP reported. The elections commission said that after investigating fraud claims from all parties it found no evidence of irregularities that compromised the election or affected its results.

The commission’s head, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, said suspicions of foreign interference are still being examined but would not have had a significant effect even if confirmed. He also warned that casting doubt on results is dangerous, according to the AP. Likud did not respond to the AP’s request for comment.

A separate investigation by the Shin Bet security agency into alleged foreign interference is continuing. According to the AP, the agency asked Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara for approval to question several elected officials, including Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas. She rejected the request, saying officials cannot be interrogated without evidence. Herzog said the investigation should proceed but that Arab Israeli voters must not be smeared. “The elections are over. Now is the time to face reality,” he said.

How coalition talks work

Under Israel’s system, the president meets each party and then asks the lawmaker he believes is most likely to form a government to try. According to the AP:

• On Wednesday, three factions aligned with Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist base recommended him. A fourth, led by a former Netanyahu ally, recommended Eisenkot.
• Eight more parties, including the two Arab-led factions, were scheduled to meet Herzog on Thursday, with Eisenkot’s Yashar and Netanyahu’s Likud speaking last.
• Herzog has several days to announce his choice, which would open weeks of negotiations.
• If no one can form a government, Israel would hold a new election early next year.

The Arab-led parties’ offer

In an interview published Thursday, Ahmad Tibi, a senior Joint List member, told the AP his bloc is willing to break with decades of precedent and work with Jewish-led parties to end Netanyahu’s rule. The Joint List has said it could back an anti-Netanyahu government from outside, by voting for it or abstaining, rather than joining it. Abstaining lowers the majority threshold, the AP explained.

Only one Arab party has ever served in an Israeli government: Ra’am, in 2021. Ra’am says it is willing to join another anti-Netanyahu government as a partner, but any such arrangement would still need Joint List support, according to the AP.

The AP reported that a partnership would be politically difficult for both sides. The Joint List rejects Israel’s identity as a Jewish state, and some of Eisenkot’s allies oppose relying on its votes. Eisenkot has said Arab-led parties must meet certain conditions to partner, including calling Hamas a terrorist group that must be destroyed. Tibi said those conditions do not apply to parties offering outside support.

What to watch next

The next milestone is Herzog’s decision on whom to task with forming a government, expected within days. After that, the chosen candidate will begin coalition negotiations. The Shin Bet inquiry and the role of the Arab-led parties are likely to shape those talks.

Sources: The Associated Press (via The Durango Herald).