Election officials said the final tally leaves the Knesset with no majority, as the Netanyahu‑aligned bloc sits short of the 61 seats needed to form a government.
Arab‑led parties, which secured 19 seats, could become kingmakers. The opposition, led by Gadi Eisenkot, has openly rejected forming a government that relies on the Joint List and Ra’am, while former prime minister Naftali Bennett and former defence minister Avigdor Liberman have also balked at such an arrangement.
President Isaac Herzog will convene the party leaders on Friday to decide who will attempt to form a cabinet. He has 28 days, extendable by 14, to appoint a prime minister, with the possibility of successive nominations if the first attempt fails.
If no coalition emerges, the country could be forced back to the polls, potentially as early as next spring, a scenario that would extend the caretaker government’s tenure.
For residents in the northern town of Arad, the uncertainty has turned a quiet day into a tense waiting game, as a local bakery owner, Haim Cohen, says he fears the next election might delay essential water repairs.