Overview
- The Joint List announced on Wednesday it is willing to back an opposition-led government from outside without joining a coalition, saying it seeks to remove Benjamin Netanyahu but will not take ministerial posts.
- Partial in‑center results show a stalemate with Likud on 27 seats, Yeshar (Eizenkot) about 22, and both the Joint List and Ma'a near 11 seats each, while roughly 600,000 double-envelope ballots remain to be counted and could change the balance.
- Likud has lodged complaints alleging widespread irregularities in Arab-majority polling areas and asked police, the Shin Bet and the Central Elections Committee to probe hundreds of reported incidents.
- Gadi Eizenkot’s bloc is divided over whether to rely on Arab-party support, a split that complicates opposition efforts to assemble a 61-seat majority and leaves post-count coalition bargaining uncertain.
- Separately, the UAE reached several confirmed milestones this week including the Challenge Reading final and Mohammed bin Rashid Arabic Prize ceremonies, graduation of a TDRA digital training cohort, and signing a comprehensive economic partnership with Canada.