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Arab parties could reject both blocs, Turkish election report suggests

An election-night broadcast from Eisenkot's headquarters examines why celebrations do not guarantee a government and why Arab parties may withhold support.

Channel: CNN TÜRK ·

TurkeyStory of October 29, 2026Trari Newsroom

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Netanyahu Saatlerdir Sessiz, Eisenkot'un Ekibi Kutlama Yapıyor! İsrail Seçimlerinde Son Durum Ne?

Things we can learn from the video

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0:15Çakmak reports celebrations at Eisenkot's headquarters, but the opening projections leave both blocs without a majority.
5:30Possible contacts with Arab parties, including Ra'am, bring their negotiating position into focus.
12:20Çakmak outlines the parliamentary deadlock and the possibility of another election.
19:00Yavuzaslan considers Arab parties joining a coalition or supporting one from outside.
20:35Yavuzaslan raises a possible unity government involving Likud without Netanyahu.
25:27Çakmak explains that Netanyahu remains in office until a new prime minister secures parliamentary confidence.

Arab parties may have the leverage to deny both Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot a governing majority, correspondent Emrah Çakmak suggests in an election-night report from Tel Aviv.

Broadcast by Turkey's CNN TÜRK on October 27, the program opens with celebrations at Eisenkot's party headquarters. But the live reporting and studio discussion quickly turn to the obstacle behind the festivities: neither camp has enough projected seats to govern alone.

A graphic attributed to Haaretz gives Eisenkot's bloc 53 seats, Netanyahu's 50 and Arab parties 17. Those are election-night projections, not final results. A majority in the 120-seat Knesset requires 61 seats, as Çakmak correctly explains later in the broadcast, despite an earlier studio reference to 60.

Çakmak reports possible contacts involving Ra'am, the United Arab List led by Mansour Abbas, and says approaches have come from both blocs. His assessment is that Arab parties could turn down either side. Their projected parliamentary strength therefore does not automatically translate into support for Eisenkot, Netanyahu's principal challenger and leader of the Yashar party.

Journalist Güngör Yavuzaslan distinguishes between joining a coalition and supporting one from outside it. He expects intensive bargaining with smaller parties and raises another possibility: a national unity arrangement involving Likud without Netanyahu. That is a scenario discussed by the panel, not an announced agreement.

The studio also considers the regional stakes. Academic Zekeriya Şahin argues that developments across the Middle East, including Turkey's defense policy and geopolitical alignments, make a stable Israeli government urgent.

Returning to the count, Çakmak reports that far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir disputes the opening projections and expects a more favorable outcome. The correspondent closes with the practical consequence of a prolonged impasse: Netanyahu would remain in office until a successor wins parliamentary confidence, while failed negotiations could bring another election.