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Herzog Urges Coalition Talks as Netanyahu Falls Short

By Drooid · Oct 28, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

President Isaac Herzog warned against another election and urged parties to pursue coalition talks openly.
Preliminary results with 85.6% counted gave Netanyahu’s bloc 53 seats, eight short of a majority.
Arab parties were projected to hold 19 seats, making them potential kingmakers in coalition talks.
Herzog must assign a coalition mandate within 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension before a new election.

History

After three successive elections (April 2019, September 2019, March 2020) left Israel with hung Knessets, the March 23 2021 vote produced another stalemate: Netanyahu’s bloc held 52 seats while the opposition needed Arab parties’ 19 seats to reach a majority. Yamina’s seven seats and Ra’am’s four helped the diverse coalition secure the 61-seat threshold, ending Netanyahu’s twelve-year premiership.

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After three successive elections (April 2019, September 2019, March 2020) left Israel with hung Knessets, the March 23 2021 vote produced another stalemate: Netanyahu’s bloc held 52 seats while the opposition needed Arab parties’ 19 seats to reach a majority. Yamina’s seven seats and Ra’am’s four helped the diverse coalition secure the 61-seat threshold, ending Netanyahu’s twelve-year premiership.

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