US President Donald Trump suggested that he could intervene in coalition talks to help form a government in Israel following an inconclusive parliamentary election, The Independent reported.
With roughly 90 per cent of ballots counted by the Central Election Committee, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing religious bloc was on course to secure 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. The total left the incumbent bloc eight seats short of the 61-seat majority required to govern. Meanwhile, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc stood at 48 seats in preliminary counts.
Trump’s Potential Involvement and Coalition Pressures
Asked during an Axios interview about whether he would get involved in efforts to form an Israeli administration, Trump stated that he hadn’t thought about the idea before adding, “I will take a look.” A US official later clarified that Washington had not yet decided whether to intervene in the government-formation process.
Behind the scenes, US President Donald Trump reportedly wants Israel’s next government to exclude far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, American sources told Walla, because he believes settler violence undermines regional stability. Sources close to Trump reiterated that forming an administration with Ben-Gvir is not an option, according to Ynetnews.
Simultaneously, sources close to Netanyahu advanced a proposal for a national unity government with Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, featuring a potential rotation agreement for the premiership that would allow Netanyahu to serve the first two years, according to a report in Maariv cited by Israel National News. Eisenkot has not indicated a willingness to discuss the proposal.
Disputes Over the Arab Vote and Election Integrity
As coalition math remains deadlocked, Netanyahu’s Likud party repeated claims that Arab citizens of Israel “stole” the election, despite the Central Election Committee finding no evidence of widespread irregularities. Analysts noted that the rhetoric aims to undermine the legitimacy of Arab voters, who are projected to secure a historic 19 seats in the Knesset.
Addressing supporters at Likud headquarters in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Netanyahu warned against relying on Arab-led parties to form a government. Balad party leader Sami Abu Shehadeh accused Israel’s main political leaders of “racism” for refusing to partner with Arab representatives, telling Al Jazeera that Palestinian citizens are being treated as illegitimate political partners.
Counting Process and Final Timeline
The remaining vote count includes between 430,000 and 480,000 double-envelope ballots cast by soldiers, prisoners, and diplomats. Final official results are scheduled to be released on November 4, 2026.
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