The latest:
Israel’s opposition turned the Democratic sweep of both chambers of the US Congress into a domestic political weapon, arguing it proves Netanyahu burned decades of bipartisan American backing. Reuters reported that his rivals are now hunting for an opening to build a government without him. Netanyahu, serving as caretaker prime minister, has said nothing about the US results, and his office did not respond to a request for comment.
Details:
- The US result: Democrats won majorities in both the Senate and the House in Tuesday’s midterms, a rebuke to President Donald Trump driven partly by anger over the unpopular US-Israeli war on Iran, Reuters reported. The vote came one week after Israel’s own election.
- The Israeli math: Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition lost its parliamentary majority but performed well enough to deny his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, a clear route to replacing him. President Isaac Herzog holds talks with party representatives Wednesday and Thursday before tasking someone with forming a government.
- Opposition attacks: Yair Golan, head of the center-left Democrats party, said on X that the midterm results expose how toxic Netanyahu has become to Democrats and Republicans alike. Centrist leader Yair Lapid posted that Netanyahu’s continued tenure endangers Israel’s security and democracy and will wreck its global standing.
- Trump’s move: Trump, who had endorsed Netanyahu, pledged Tuesday to halt the 4 billion dollars in annual US funding for Israel, saying the step would strip Democrats of a “flimsy argument.” Washington has sent billions in military aid annually since the 1970s.
- The erosion: Support for Israel slipped among Democrats and some Republicans after the military campaign in Gaza that followed the 2023 Hamas attack, and fell further this year after Trump and Netanyahu ordered a joint strike on Iran. Several Democratic candidates campaigned against US military aid.
- The academic read: Udi Sommer, a political science professor at Tel Aviv University, predicted the incoming Democratic-controlled Congress would be the most hostile to Israel in history. He noted most foreign policy power stays with the president, but Democrats can apply pressure through hearings, oversight and budget measures.
- Results certified: Israel’s Central Elections Committee approved the election results Wednesday, with Likud and the ultra-Orthodox Shas abstaining. Committee chair Justice Noam Sohlberg voted in favor alongside opposition representatives. Likud is weighing a challenge and preparing for a possible appeal on 18 November.
- Fraud claims: The committee said it found no evidence the vote’s integrity was compromised. Shin Bet separately presented intelligence on alleged large transfers of foreign money into Israel from entities with hidden or hostile agendas, saying the phenomenon could involve thousands of people and requires further investigation.
- The audit scale: Roughly 250 public-sector lawyers reviewed protocols from 9,069 polling stations over six days. The committee logged 2,452 queries from parties on 1,350 ballot boxes and 1,239 from the public on 750 more. Likud representative Sagi Kesler said 1,281 complaints went unaddressed.
Background:
The United States has been Israel’s strongest ally for generations under presidents of both parties, supplying billions of dollars a year in military aid since the 1970s. Unlike predecessors who courted both parties, Netanyahu has backed Republicans openly.
Between the lines:
The opposition’s argument fuses two results a week apart: a lost Knesset majority and a Congress that campaigned partly against the Iran strike Netanyahu co-authored. Sommer’s point narrows it — a Democratic Congress cannot set foreign policy, but hearings, oversight and budget leverage can make the alliance costlier to manage. Meanwhile Likud’s push to contest the certified results keeps the domestic fight unresolved.
What’s next
Herzog’s consultations Wednesday and Thursday determine who gets the first mandate. Sohlberg must publish results within eight days of the vote, opening a 14-day appeal window at Jerusalem’s administrative court; Likud is preparing a possible filing on 18 November.
