Overview
- The Central Elections Committee released final results on Friday, Oct. 30, showing the Likud‑led right-wing bloc with 53 seats, the opposition bloc with 48 seats, and Arab‑led lists with 19 seats in the 120‑member Knesset.
- No bloc reached the 61 seats needed to govern and Benjamin Netanyahu will remain caretaker prime minister while coalition negotiations begin.
- CEC chairman Noam Sohlberg asked Shin Bet chief David Zini to investigate 'serious suspicions' that foreign money influenced efforts to mobilize Arab voters, and the agency says the probe is focused and not accusing an entire community.
- Israeli police separately arrested seven people in a bribery probe in the Negev that investigators say involved cash found in envelopes, and Qatar has issued a categorical denial of any role in the election.
- High Arab turnout that produced 19 seats has given Joint List and Ra'am major leverage over government formation, but political divisions within the opposition and right‑wing refusals to work with Arab parties make coalition paths narrow and could prolong deadlock.