Netanyahu's coalition falls short of a majority in Israel's election but he was not defeated, commentary says

Summary

A Middle East Eye commentary argues that Benjamin Netanyahu lost votes in Israel's election but was not defeated. His coalition appears to be down an estimated eight to 10 seats from the 2022 vote and is short of the majority needed to form a government. The author says Netanyahu told voters that the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack was the military's failure and that he made Israel much safer afterward, and that this message resonated with Jewish voters. The piece highlights the success of the Joint List alliance of Palestinian parties and, to a lesser extent, gains for Mansour Abbas' Raam party. It argues that Netanyahu is going nowhere until Israel's Palestinian citizens are taken seriously.

Timeline

1. Middle East Eye

   29 Oct 2026, 03:00 UTCSource ↗

   In a live-blog commentary, Middle East Eye reports that Netanyahu lost votes but was not defeated, that his coalition appears short of a majority, and that the Joint List and Raam gained ground in the election.