Israel voted in large numbers but did not decide

Israelis went to the polls on Tuesday in the first election since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, and the war in Gaza that followed. Turnout exceeded 77%, according to the Central Elections Committee, while ATSH (the Albanian Telegraphic Agency) put it at 77.7%, the highest since 1999. Citizens, in other words, did not stay home. But exit polls show they gave no one a full mandate.

The average of the three main television channels gives the opposition bloc 53 seats and Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc 50, well short of the 61 needed in the 120-seat Knesset. Likud remains the largest party with about 24–25 seats, while Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar wins about 22. Arab parties, with 17–18 seats, could be decisive.

That is where the problem lies. Eisenkot has said he will not govern with Arab lawmakers, even though they could support a minority government from outside. Netanyahu warned against a government relying on those parties, which he called anti-Zionist. Itamar Ben Gvir warned Netanyahu not to enter a unity government with Eisenkot. Each side is drawing red lines before the final votes are counted.

Analysts note that the deadlock could keep Netanyahu in power as caretaker prime minister during talks expected to last weeks. Eisenkot called him a prime minister “without a mandate,” but he does not have a majority either. If no one secures one, Israel risks a new election.

Our proposal is measured: the parties should wait for the final result before declaring victory and should state publicly the program on which they seek a coalition. No lawmaker elected by citizens should be treated as unacceptable from the outset. And if talks fail, a new election should be called quickly, so that the country is not left for long with a caretaker government.