Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the possibility of forming a government with Arab political parties, writing on X on Friday: “A government must not be formed with the Arab parties.”

His statement followed election results giving his bloc 53 Knesset seats, compared with 48 for the opposition and 19 for two Arab electoral lists. Neither main bloc secured the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.

Netanyahu’s Likud party also accused Arab parties of electoral misconduct and demanded investigations into allegations of bribery, threats and fraud. These claims remain unverified.

The results leave Arab parties in a potentially influential position in negotiations over the formation of the next government.