Israel After the Election: Who Will Form a Government?

The formation of a new government looks set to be a complicated process after the Israeli election on Tuesday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc is slightly ahead of the opposition alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot, former chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces, but with around two-thirds of the votes counted neither camp appears to have secured the required majority of 61 seats. The provisional final result is expected on Thursday. PM not out of the running yetJOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. NRC (Netherlands) sees Israel facing an uncertain political future: “Netanyahu has suffered a setback but is not yet out of the running. ... Given the deadlock over cooperation with the Arab parties, Israel may be heading for a general election in 2027 – a scenario in which Netanyahu would remain in office as interim prime minister. For Israel’s longest-serving leader and his supporters, this is of course not a bad outcome. But for Israelis who yearn for domestic political change, the memory of the marathon of five elections between 2019 and 2022 is still fresh.” Partners needed Polityka (Poland) sees the Arab parties in the role of kingmaker: “History shows that the politician tasked with forming a government will succeed in doing so. ... Everything indicates that without the support of the Arab parties, none of the candidates will be able to form a government. Eisenkot potentially has the better chances, even though hypothetical coalition partners announced ahead of the elections that they would not enter into an alliance with the Arabs. The Arab parties could play their part in forming a minority or even a majority government if the main opponent of this solution, Avigdor Lieberman, were to withdraw into the opposition.” Other Topics of Interest What Israel’s Election Could Change for Ukraine and Relations With Russia Ukraine is not driving Israel’s election, but politicians are reconsidering cooperation with Kyiv as Russia’s partnership with Iran brings their security concerns closer together. Eisenkot has a chance A coalition led by Eisenkot would be possible, says La Stampa (Italy) : “President Isaac Herzog must decide who has the best chances of forming a government, while taking into account two major currents of public opinion: those who are horrified by the massacre of 7 October, and those – mostly from the Arab minority – who are equally shocked by the destruction of the Gaza Strip. Reconciling these two sides will be Eisenkot’s task, should he be given the mandate to form a minority government. The alternative would be to hold another election in three months’ time.” Change depends on certain ministers losing their posts On news website Spotmedia (Romania), journalist Irina Olteanu sees a fundamental change of direction within reach: “A government that is not dependent on politicians like [Minister for National Security Itamar] Ben Gvir and [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich could take more decisive action against settler violence. It would refrain from encouraging the emigration of Palestinians and the disintegration of the Palestinian Authority. Such a government would be more open to initiatives from the US and regional actors on Gaza and other issues. However, it would also inherit the same unresolved questions how to disarm Hamas, who will rebuild Gaza, and who will restore order and respect for the law in the West Bank.” No majority for Netanyahu’s hysteria Die Zeit (Germany) sees a chance for reason and level-headedness to prevail once more: “For an end to the never-ending drama and hysteria that Netanyahu embodies. In the final phase of his campaign, the prime minister circulated AI-generated images of a mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv. His message: it’s either me or the apocalypse. This excessive behaviour, this tendency to throw all caution to the wind can only harm Israel, as it would any country. Benjamin Netanyahu has still been able to mobilise plenty of support for his doomsday rhetoric. But not a majority.”