The Israeli elections are over. Turnout was historic, the highest in decades, especially among Arab parties. They currently hold about 19-20 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. It’s all about who can build an agreement, reach 61, and form a government. The anti-Netanyahu bloc oozed triumphalism on election night, but that faded quickly. It was not a change election. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing bloc still netted the most, and the opposition is in a serious bind: on paper, they have the seats, but the Arab parties will not call Hamas a terrorist organization, a prerequisite for any governing agreement. So far, they’ve turned down overtures to do so.
BREAKING: The count is complete. Here's where things stand: Blocs Netanyahu's coalition: 53 Change bloc: 48 Arab parties: 19 (Joint List 11, Ra'am 8) Parties Likud: 27 Yashar (Gadi Eisenkot): 21 Beyachad (Naftali Bennett): 12 Joint List: 11 The Democrats: 8 Ra'am: 8 Yisrael Beiteinu: 7 Otzma Yehudit: 7 United Torah Judaism: 7 Shas: 6 Religious Zionism and Zehut: 6 Below the 3.25 percent threshold The Reservists and the Economic Party (Yoaz Hendel): 2.72 percent Amcha Yisrael (Ofer Winter): 1.68 percent
— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) October 29, 2026
Gadi Eisenkot set four conditions for any party to join his coalition, one of those conditions is calling Hamas a terrorist organization. Mansour Abbas has already met the first 3 conditions. Tonight, I gave him the opportunity to call Hamas a terrorist organization. He refused.
— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) October 28, 2026
It could be weeks until we know who is leading the Jewish State. If I had to guess, we shouldn’t be shocked if the Arab parties refuse to condemn Hamas, leading to the anti-Netanyahu bloc being unable to form a government, paving the way for Netanyahu to remain prime minister. This has happened before, when the opposition bloc couldn't hold together a coalition, leading to Bibi’s return to power.
And then there's this stupid crap:
Netanyahu’s opponents have the votes to end his rule. But in Israel, tribalism/colonialism trumps democracy, and ethnicity trumps citizenship. Palestinian citizens of Israel turned out in record numbers. The Joint List and Ra’am won an historic 17 seats, the largest Arab representation in the Knesset’s history. They are offering to save Israel by voting Netanyahu out. All the opposition has to do is choose: a democracy for all its citizens, or Jewish supremacy enforced through military rule, apartheid, ethnic cleansing and permanent illegal occupation. It is a choice, and the opposition will own it. A “democracy” that denies its own citizens power because of their ethnicity/race is NO democracy at all. It is apartheid: authoritarianism with elections.
— Rula Jebreal (@rulajebreal) October 28, 2026
Arab parties were never going to clinch a majority. They have the right to vote, and they exercised it, so the apartheid narrative died a brutal death.
"It is apartheid: authoritarianism with elections," she added.
Um. That doesn't make sense.