Israeli coalition talks begin with no majority in sight
President Herzog will hold talks to form Israel's government. No bloc won the 61 seats needed to rule.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is holding talks with elected parties to form a new government. Tuesday's election produced no clear majority.
Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud won 27 of 120 seats. But it fell short of the 61 seats needed to govern alone.
Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot's centrist Yashar party came second with 21 seats. The president traditionally picks the candidate with the best chance of building a majority.
This is not automatically the largest party leader. Herzog will hold meetings starting Wednesday.
Whoever he picks then has 28 days to build a coalition. If that fails, the process repeats.
Around 2000 people demonstrated in Tel Aviv. They called for Arab parties to join the government.
- 61 of 120
- Seats needed for majority
- 27
- Likud seats
- 21
- Yashar seats
- 19 seats, up from 2022
- Arab parties combined
Why it mattersIsrael faces weeks of uncertainty over its government formation. The balance of power remains unclear.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, but prolonged Israeli political deadlock could affect regional stability and Middle East policy.
Corroborated byperthnow.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
