In the wake of an election that left his party weaker than it was going in, Benjamin Netanyahu now faces the old and familiar work of Israeli politics: building a governing majority from the parts that remain. The arithmetic of a fragmented parliament asks more of him than before, and the decades of alliances, rivalries, and bargaining that shaped his career are now the resources he must spend. Whether that accumulated skill can turn a diminished result into a stable government is the question that will define what comes next.
Netanyahu's Bid to Stay in Power Will Test His Political Savvy After Electoral Setback
A weaker hand, and decades of political capital to play it
In the wake of an election that left his party weaker than it was going in, Benjamin Netanyahu now faces the old and familiar work of Israeli politics: building a governing majority from the parts that remain. The arithmetic of a fragmented parliament asks more of him than before, and the decades of alliances, rivalries, and bargaining that shaped his career are now the resources he must spend. Whether that accumulated skill can turn a diminished result into a stable government is the question that will define what comes next.
Benjamin Netanyahu came out of Israel's latest election with less than he carried into it. His party lost ground, and with that loss went the easy route to a governing majority. The task of assembling one now rests with him.
A New York Times analysis published on November 1, 2026, frames his next steps as a test of the political skill he has built over decades in public life. In Israel no single party governs alone, so a prime minister must gather partners who together hold a majority in parliament. A leader whose party has shrunk has fewer bargaining chips and fewer obvious allies, and Netanyahu must build that majority from a weaker position than before the vote.
The work also means reckoning with old foes. Coalition talks will require dealings with people who have opposed him, and managing those relationships well enough to keep a government intact. The reporting does not name those rivals or their demands, so the shape of those negotiations remains unclear.
What is established is his standing: Netanyahu remains prime minister and has the first claim on forming a government, but the outcome is far from assured. His experience is his main asset. The open question is whether it can turn a diminished result into a stable majority, and how his dealings with longtime rivals will unfold.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, has come out of the country's latest election with less than he had going in. His party lost ground, and that leaves him without a clear route to a governing majority. The work of building one now falls to him.
That work is the subject of a New York Times analysis published on November 1, 2026. Its central point is that Netanyahu's next steps will test the political skills he has built up over decades in public life. The analysis frames those decades as capital he must now spend.
The arithmetic of Israeli politics explains why. No single party can govern alone, so a prime minister needs a coalition of partners who together command a majority in parliament. A leader whose party has lost seats has less to bargain with and fewer obvious allies to call. Netanyahu has to assemble a workable majority from a weaker position than the one he held before the vote.
The analysis also points to a second demand: he must reckon with old foes. Forming a coalition will require him to deal with people who have been his opponents, and to manage those relationships well enough to hold a government together. The source material does not name those rivals or describe what they want, so the shape of those negotiations is not yet visible.
What the reporting does establish is the basic position. Netanyahu remains prime minister and has the first claim on the task of forming a government, but his electoral setback means the outcome is not assured. His long experience is the main asset he brings. The question is whether it is enough to turn a diminished result into a stable majority.
The piece is analysis rather than a report of a deal. It does not list the parties in play, the seat counts, or any timetable, and it offers no account of talks under way. It is a framing of the challenge, not a record of its resolution.
What to watch next is straightforward: whether Netanyahu can put together a coalition that lasts, and how his dealings with longtime rivals unfold as he tries.
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Politics & Governance