Israeli election yields no governing majority for Netanyahu or Eisenkot

Israel's 2026 election produced a deadlock, with Netanyahu's bloc winning 53 seats and Eisenkot's bloc 48, neither able to form a government alone. Analysts debate implications for Palestinians and the Zionist project.

A political analysis by writer Jamal Zaqout in Al-Ittihad newspaper discusses the results of the recent Israeli elections, which did not produce a majority capable of forming a government. The writer argues that the crisis goes beyond Netanyahu's parliamentary predicament to reveal a deeper contradiction in the Zionist project between the claim of democracy and the continuation of colonial control. He points out that Netanyahu is trying to shift the discussion from his responsibility for the crisis to the opposition's disagreements, and uses racist incitement against Arabs to delegitimize any majority based on their votes. The article criticizes the Jewish opposition for not offering a strategic alternative that ends the occupation and settlement, and sees that Washington is seeking a less disruptive government for its regional arrangements without ending the occupation. The writer concludes that maneuvers may give Netanyahu a chance to survive but will not extricate the Zionist project from its predicament.