Commentary: Israel’s indecisive election reveals deep fault lines

FORMING A GOVERNMENT ACROSS THE DIVIDE

One major unknown of these coming negotiations will be the role played by Arab political parties. 

Mr Netanyahu has long used the Arab vote as a bogeyman to mobilise the right-wing Jewish vote. Even as voting was underway, he accused them of trying to “steal the election” in an effort to rally voters.

Mr Eisenkot proved more ambiguous in his position regarding the participation of Arab political parties in a potential coalition, and affirmed that they would have first to make public concessions, including denouncing Hamas as a terrorist organisation. 

Under the current circumstances, if he wants to build a workable coalition, he may have no choice but to find an agreement with the Arab political parties. But doing could push his right-leaning partners towards Mr Netanyahu. In a country deeply scarred by Oct 7, many of his own voters might rebel.

Eventually, if neither man can form a credible coalition, the Knesset will be dissolved, and Israelis will have to vote again. This is not unknown to Israelis: Between April 2019 and November 2022, the country held no fewer than five elections due to the failure to secure a stable government. 

The 2026 election is a reminder that Israel’s democratic process is still alive. Israelis showed they are eager to have their say but whether the political leaders can bridge those divisions is far less certain. 

Jean-Loup Samaan is Senior Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore.