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Netanyahu's main rival signals he could govern with Arab parties after they won a record 19 seats in Israel's election

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister, with Chaim at the Western Wall, as the final count left his Likud-led bloc on 53 seats — eight short of the majority needed to govern.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister, with Chaim at the Western Wall, as the final count left his Likud-led bloc on 53 seats — eight short of the majority needed to govern.
Crowds marching through Tel Aviv by night, as Arab turnout surged to nearly 80 per cent to deliver the historic Knesset result.
Crowds marching through Tel Aviv by night, as Arab turnout surged to nearly 80 per cent to deliver the historic Knesset result.

Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu's main rival and former IDF chief of staff, has opened the door to a coalition with Arab parties after they secured a record 19 seats in the Knesset, giving the opposition a combined 67-seat majority in the 120-seat parliament. Thousands rallied in Tel Aviv in support of an Arab-Jewish coalition government as pressure builds on Jewish opposition leaders to act on what analysts call a clear democratic mandate.

Arab parties Raam and the Joint List collectively hold the balance of power, yet many Jewish opposition figures have publicly ruled out cooperating with them.

Raam, an Islamist party, has sought acceptance by focusing on issues affecting Arab citizens — violent crime and discriminatory housing — rather than leading on Gaza and the West Bank.

In an extraordinary sign of the times, a Jewish former police officer will represent Raam in the newly elected parliament.

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