“Netanyahu lost,” Yair Golan says, urging an opposition government with Arab (Palestinian) parties and citing a 65-seat majority

Yair Golan, leader of the Democratic Party, called on the opposition led by Gadi Eisenkot to form a government with Arab (Palestinian) parties after Israel’s elections. In a post on X, Golan declared that “Netanyahu lost,” arguing that the opposition held 65 seats against 55 for Netanyahu’s bloc.

Golan called Netanyahu’s distinction between Jewish and “Arab” votes racist. He said a Palestinian citizen’s vote in Tayibe carries exactly the same weight as a Jewish citizen’s vote in Givat Shmuel.

Responding to Netanyahu’s call for a “Zionist majority,” Golan pointed to 16 lawmakers from non-Zionist ultra-Orthodox parties in Netanyahu’s bloc, criticizing their support for widespread military draft exemptions. Golan said the opposition had a Zionist majority of 49 seats to 39, as well as an overall 65-to-55 majority when Palestinian parties were included.

He urged opposition leaders to abandon their reluctance to work with Palestinian representatives and form a government serving all citizens. “We have a majority. We have responsibility. And we have an opportunity to form a government of change in partnership with Israel’s Arab citizens,” he wrote.

With counting still underway, the latest reported results gave Netanyahu’s bloc 54 seats, Eisenkot’s bloc 48 and Arab parties 18, leaving no bloc with a majority on its own.