PNN – With the “United Torah Judaism” party declaring a neutral stance, Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition has lost another 7 seats.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; on Wednesday—following the certification of the 2026 Knesset election results by Justice Solberg, the head of the Central Elections Committee—the confirmed results were submitted to Isaac Herzog, the President of the Zionist regime. Herzog is now tasked, in accordance with his legal authority, with designating the leader of one of the parties to form a cabinet.
Herzog is currently engaged in consultations with the political parties of the Zionist regime, with the intention of tasking either the first or second-largest party with forming a coalition within the coming days. It is not a strict requirement that one of the top two parties be entrusted with this task; the President of the Zionist regime has the discretion to appoint any individual he deems capable of forming a coalition and establishing a cabinet.
Of course, the assignment of this task was not a personal choice; in the consultations held with all political parties, the head of the Zionist regime asks them whom they consider suitable to form a cabinet. The collective response from the parties regarding the individual they propose for this role determines the Zionist regime’s final choice for forming the cabinet.
Composition of Parties in the 26th Knesset of the Zionist Regime
Based on the votes cast in the 2026 Knesset elections—held on Wednesday, October 27—the following results were obtained:
Likud, led by Netanyahu: 27 seats
Yashar, led by Gadi Eizenkot: 21 seats
Bahad, led by Naftali Bennett: 12 seats
Joint Arab List, led by Yousef Jabareen: 11 seats
The Democrats, led by Yair Golan: 8 seats
Ra’am, led by Mansour Abbas: 8 seats
Yisrael Beiteinu, led by Avigdor Liberman: 7 seats
United Torah Judaism, led by Yaakov Asher: 7 seats
Otzma Yehudit, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir: 7 seats
Shas, led by Aryeh Deri: 6 seats
Religious Zionism, led by Bezalel Smotrich: 6 seats
Under this configuration, the coalition bloc (Likud, United Torah Judaism, Otzma Yehudit, Shas, and Religious Zionism) secured 53 seats, while the opposition bloc (Yashar, Baham, The Democrats, and Yisrael Beiteinu) obtained 48 seats. This outcome means that neither side has succeeded in forming a government.
United Torah Judaism Distances Itself from the Coalition Bloc
During consultations held on Thursday between Isaac Herzog, the President of the Zionist regime, and the parties represented in the Knesset, the United Torah Judaism party—led by Yaakov Asher—informed Herzog that it is no longer committed to either bloc and will not nominate any candidate for the position of Prime Minister.
This stance by the “United Torah Judaism” party signifies its distancing from the governing coalition. Under these circumstances, Netanyahu has effectively lost the party’s 7 seats from his coalition; he is now left with 46 seats—two fewer than the opposition coalition.
This means that Netanyahu’s capacity to form a coalition and establish a cabinet has weakened, leaving him in a position even weaker than that of the opposition. It appears that the primary issue for this Haredi party remains the legislation concerning military conscription for the Haredi community.
Notably, the “United Torah Judaism” party has adopted this approach several times in the past; ultimately, by pressuring Netanyahu—effectively through extortion—and securing special concessions, it joined his governing coalition. The most significant of these concessions was the non-enforcement of the law regarding the conscription of Haredim. Although the legislation itself was passed, it was never implemented, and Haredi individuals who failed to enlist faced no legal repercussions.
This development reinforces two possibilities regarding the ongoing political instability within the Zionist regime. First, forming a government has become even more difficult than it was last week, following the announcement of the election results. Second, Netanyahu’s position—previously bolstered by holding more seats than the opposition—has now been weakened by the distancing of this Haredi party from his coalition.