Israel's far-right eyes influence after election gains fall short

Israel's far-right parties retained their 13 parliamentary seats in the October 27 election, falling short of expectations for major gains, though supporters remain hopeful they will retain influence in the next government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc, including Itamar Ben Gvir's Jewish Power and Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism, won 53 seats, below the 61 needed to govern. The opposition, led by Gadi Eisenkot, secured 48 seats, potentially partnering with Arab-Israeli parties that won a record 19 seats. Far-right support grew by roughly 100,000 votes compared to 2022, but high turnout diluted their share. In Sderot, voters cite security concerns from the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, fearing any coalition with Arab parties could weaken military control in Gaza.