Israel's Political Crisis: Hung Parliament Sparks Government Formation Drama

After the 2026 general election in Israel produced a hung parliament wherein the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led bloc and his main opposition Gadi Eisenkot, who is a former Israeli military chief, led coalition failed to cross the majority mark, parties in different blocs have been looking for a possibility to get a clear path to form a new government. Different factions in Israel are weighing possible governing arrangements that include a unity government which could bring rival factions together, or a minority government with possible outside support. The Arab-led parties, including the Joint List and Ra’am, secured 19 seats in the Israeli elections and hold the balance of power in the Knesset. However, Eisenkot and other opposition leaders have earlier ruled out the possibility of aligning with Arab-led parties. The Israel election results must officially be certified and presented to President Isaac Herzog by November 4. The new Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on November 10. Herzog, after due consultations with party leaders and blocs, will invite one of the Knesset members by November 11 to form the new government. The president is expected to select a candidate who has the best possibility of forming a coalition. The candidate, shortlisted by Herzog to form the next government, will have 28 days to form a new coalition; however, there’ll be a possibility of an extension of 14 days, Al Jazeera reported. If the Knesset member shortlisted by the Israeli President fails to form a government in the stipulated time of 42 days, Herzog will have the option of inviting another Knesset member to try to form a majority coalition in another 28 days. If that candidate also fails to produce a majority, then the Knesset members can decide on a new candidate and put forward the name to the president, who will have the final 14 days to try to form the government. However, even if a candidate is not able to secure a majority of 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset, the candidate can still try to form a minority government with the outside support from other parties like the Arab-led bloc. If neither of these political options works and the stalemate continues, then the Knesset will be dissolved formally, and the Israeli voters will once again return to polling booths for another round of elections. A new election, if need be, will have to be called within 90 days, Al Jazeera reported. Till then, Netanyahu continues to be the caretaker prime minister of the country.