📰 5 sources 9 articles · 27 Oct 2026, 20:41 → 16 days ago

Netanyahu after the Knesset election: warning against a 'leftist-Arab government' and declaring a 'right-wing majority'

After polling stations closed in the Knesset election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a series of statements warning against a 'leftist-Arab government' which he called a 'terror government', and called for a strong national right-wing government. Netanyahu linked forming a government to weakening Iran and removing the 'existential threat' in cooperation with US President Donald Trump, while the Central Elections Committee announced that 51.8% of votes had been counted.

📍 Where things stand: Vote counting continues after 51.8% was announced, with Netanyahu continuing to attack his political rivals and insisting on forming a strong right-wing government backed by his bloc.

⏱️ Timeline

27 Oct 2026, 20:41 The Hebrew page of Avraham Freund quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that forming a leftist government would remove Jewishness from the country and lead to severe persecution of Haredim, adding that they would fix what is needed and that the matter is in the public's hands.
27 Oct 2026, 22:53 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a leftist-Arab government would be a 'terror' government, in a remark published by 'lebanon debate'.
28 Oct 2026, 00:55 After polling stations closed in Tuesday's Knesset election, Netanyahu warned against forming a 'leftist-Arab government', describing it as a 'terror government', and stressed his determination to work to form the next government. Post-vote polls showed Likud leading with 24 or 25 of the Knesset's 120 seats, followed by the centrist 'Yesh Atid' party led by Gadi Eisenkot with 21 seats, with neither camp obtaining an absolute majority.
28 Oct 2026, 03:32 In his first speech after polling stations closed, Netanyahu said Israel had changed the face of the Middle East after the assassination of Haniyeh, Sinwar and Khamenei, and that it had established security zones in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. He stressed that Iran is weaker than ever and that Likud is the largest party, called for forming a strong national right-wing government, and warned against a leftist-Arab government which he described as a terror government.
28 Oct 2026, 03:39 In the early hours of Wednesday, Netanyahu said his government had averted an existential threat and had struck the Iranian regime, that Iran had become weak while Israel is the strong one. After the release of sample ballots, he pledged to remove the Iranian threat 'forever' in cooperation with US President Donald Trump, adding that the matter is not over as long as the Iranian regime exists.
28 Oct 2026, 07:44 Netanyahu's post-election speech, whose positions were described as extremist, stirred widespread controversy after he addressed the Arab parties in Israel in it.
28 Oct 2026, 09:12 Israel's Channel 12 and the Daphna Liel page quoted Netanyahu saying that Likud is the largest party in Israel and stressing the need to form a strong right-wing government, that the 'Iranian enemy' will try to destroy Israel again, and that he will work with US President Donald Trump 'to remove this threat permanently', noting that Israel 'is still waiting for the real results'.
28 Oct 2026, 09:30 Netanyahu claimed that his right-wing bloc won a 'clear and decisive majority' in the Knesset election and called for forming a 'strong national right-wing government' that does not depend on the Arab parties, pointing to a 'historic opportunity' with US President Donald Trump to remove the Iranian 'existential threat'. The Central Elections Committee announced the counting of 51.8% of votes, with Netanyahu's camp getting 55 seats against 49 for the Jewish opposition and 16 for the Arab parties.

Timeline written by AI from the sources below; updated as new reports arrive.

How the sources covered it

Some coverage focused on the ideological content of Netanyahu's speech regarding the left, Haredim and Iran, while others focused on its timing after polls closed and on seat figures and vote-count results, and one source highlighted the controversy the speech provoked over the Arab parties.

المترجم احمد المقادمة Its coverage was limited to relaying Netanyahu's statements via Hebrew pages and channels, focusing on the warning about a leftist government and the persecution of Haredim and on the 'Iranian threat' and cooperation with Trump, without mentioning seat numbers or vote-count results.
lebanon debate It focused on Netanyahu's description of a leftist-Arab government as a 'terror' government and on the controversy stirred by his positions on the Arab parties, without seat numbers or counting details.
MTV Lebanon It led with the timing of the statement after polls closed, cited post-vote poll results (Likud 24 or 25 seats and Yesh Atid 21) and the absence of an absolute majority, alongside the 'terror government' phrase.
Masrawy It was concerned with the content of the 'first speech' after polls closed, highlighting Netanyahu's talk of the assassination of Haniyeh, Sinwar and Khamenei and of security zones in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, and his pledge to remove the Iranian threat 'forever' with Trump.
Anadolu Ajansı It led with Netanyahu's claim that his bloc won a 'clear and decisive majority' and his call for a government not dependent on the Arab parties, cited the 51.8% count figures (55 versus 49 and 16), and used the wording 'claims'.