Trump announces support for Netanyahu in Tuesday's elections

Israeli electoral authorities published the final tally of the parliamentary elections held on Tuesday, confirming that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing bloc lost its absolute majority in the 120-seat Knesset. The Central Elections Committee released the definitive counts on Thursday, October 29, ending the voting phase of the recent legislative contest. The official figures show that Netanyahu’s coalition secured 53 seats, a significant drop from the 68 seats controlled during the previous legislative period. The main opposition bloc obtained 48 seats, while parties led by Arab representatives captured the remaining 19 mandates. This result means no single political force achieved the 61 seats required to form a majority government, necessitating complex coalition negotiations. The publication of these data concludes the institutional vote-counting process following the Tuesday elections. Although the tabulation is finished, the results must still undergo administrative certification protocols before being formally presented to President Isaac Herzog. This handover is scheduled for next Wednesday. Once the president receives the certified report, he will initiate institutional consultations to designate a candidate for prime minister. The current seat distribution reshapes the political landscape in the Knesset, forcing various factions to negotiate alliances to secure a governing majority. Dean Livne, the acting director-general of the electoral body, confirmed in a video statement that the final data would remain unchanged despite ongoing investigations into potential irregularities. He stated that actions taken regarding classified information received by the committee chair did not affect the final results presented to the president nor concern any specific population sector. Livne reiterated that claims of systematic failures in voting integrity lack foundation. The committee ratified the validity of the scrutiny amidst questions raised by political opponents. The final count included special ballots, often referred to as double-envelope votes, which were processed by the Central Elections Committee. These ballots encompassed votes cast by soldiers, prisoners, diplomats stationed abroad, and hospitalized individuals who could not attend regular polling stations. After this additional counting, the distribution of seats among the major political blocs remained stable. Netanyahu’s Likud party emerged as the largest individual party, winning 27 seats. However, this position does not guarantee his ability to form the next government. In the opposition camp, Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party won 21 seats, making it the strongest challenger. The B’Yachad party secured 12 seats, while the Joint List took 11. The Democrats and Ra’am each won eight seats. United Torah Judaism, Yisrael Beiteinu, and Otzma Yehudit secured seven seats apiece. Shas and Religious Zionism won six seats each. The Arab-led bloc, comprising several parties, collectively gained 19 seats. Reports indicate a rise in voter turnout among Arab citizens, a factor cited by some officials as influencing the final margin. Political controversy accompanied the announcement due to allegations of foreign interference and irregularities. Netanyahu accused opponents of stealing the election and demanded an investigation into presumed external meddling. His Likud party claimed that Arab-led parties benefited from vote-buying and illegal voter mobilization. In response, the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency, began investigating suspicions that foreign funding, reportedly linked to Qatar and Turkey, was used to influence Arab voter turnout. Qatar has denied any involvement in the election. Additionally, the Lahav 433 unit of the Israel Police is investigating suspected election bribery. Central Elections Committee chairman Judge Noam Sohlberg requested the Shin Bet to examine suspicions of improper foreign influence based on classified information. Despite these probes, the electoral commission maintained that the integrity of the vote was preserved. The allegations remain unproven, but they have heightened tensions within the political sphere. The dispute has focused attention on the role of external actors in domestic politics and the management of minority voting patterns. Prior to the election, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Netanyahu, urging American supporters of the Israeli leader to vote for him. On October 25, two days before the polls opened, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, calling Netanyahu an "outstanding Warrior Prime Minister." He urged voters to choose Netanyahu to "finish the job that we started," referencing joint military operations against Iran. Trump highlighted the Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Epic Fury, claiming these actions left Iran’s military and economy in ruins, with inflation reaching 301 percent. He described the relationship between the two leaders as one of achieving victories together. Netanyahu also campaigned heavily on national security issues. Two days before the election, he warned Iran and its regional allies that they would receive "disproportionate" and "crushing" strikes if they attempted to disrupt the elections. Speaking beside an Arrow missile defense battery, he stated that intelligence services indicated adversaries might attempt attacks to interfere with the democratic process. He asserted that the Israeli army was prepared for both defense and offense. In separate remarks, Netanyahu shared a text attributed to writer Yuval Bloomberg, warning of a "second Holocaust" if he was not re-elected. The text described Iran and its allies as an existential threat and argued that internal debates over mandatory service for ultra-Orthodox Jews or diplomatic relations with Qatar were trivial compared to the danger posed by atomic weapons. It suggested that voting for a leader incapable of completing the mission would expose families to catastrophic risk. The campaign featured large billboards in cities like Tel Aviv displaying images of Netanyahu alongside Trump and fighter jets, emphasizing the alliance between the two nations. The path forward involves formal certification of the results and subsequent coalition talks. With no clear winner holding a majority, the focus shifts to whether Netanyahu can assemble enough partners to govern or if the opposition can unite under Eisenkot or another figure. The presence of 19 seats held by Arab-led parties adds complexity to these negotiations, as their participation or abstention could determine the stability of any future cabinet. The investigations into foreign interference continue in parallel with the political maneuvering, though the electoral commission has already validated the count. The next critical step occurs when President Herzog receives the certified document, triggering the legal framework for appointing a prime ministerial candidate. Until then, the Knesset remains in a transitional state, awaiting the formation of a new executive branch.