US Midterm Elections: A Blow to Netanyahu's Government Formation Prospects

Israeli political rivals of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seized on Democrats’ capture of both chambers of the US Congress as evidence that he had weakened Israel’s longstanding bipartisan support in Washington, as they seek to form a government without him. Democrats won majorities in both the Senate and House in Tuesday’s midterm election, in a scathing rebuke to President Donald Trump fuelled in part by deep frustration over the unpopular US-Israeli war on Iran. The US vote came a week after Israel’s election, in which Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition lost its parliamentary majority but performed well enough to deny his main opponent, Gadi Eisenkot, a clear path to unseat him. Israeli President Isaac Herzog is due to hold talks on Wednesday and Thursday with party representatives before tasking one of the two men with forming the next government. Netanyahu remains prime minister in a caretaker capacity. World · Results dashboard Counts reflect AP race calls as of 6:35 pm IST, Wednesday, November 4. Republican-held seats won by Democrats Before After · AP calls Senate House Reported Express tally of names in JTA, The Forward and Ynet reports. Not a full census of every newcomer’s position Pro-Israel candidates also won major contests: Florida Senator Ashley Moody beat DSA-linked Democrat Angie Nixon, Ynet reported. Abdul El-Sayed · Michigan Senate The first Muslim elected to the US Senate Won the seat Gary Peters is vacating, after edging Rep. Haley Stevens by about a point in the August primary. Has called Israel’s military campaign in Gaza a genocide and backs ending US military aid. The “mini Mamdanis”, backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani Brad Lander Beat Rep. Dan Goldman in the June primary; calls himself a Zionist and accuses Israel of genocide and apartheid. Darializa Avila Chevalier DSA Former Columbia University encampment activist; unseated Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the primary. Claire Valdez DSA Has accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. Other progressive winners Melat Kiros DSA Ousted Rep. Diana DeGette in the primary; wants all weapons shipments to Israel halted. Donavan McKinney DSA Beat Indian-American Rep. Shri Thanedar in the primary; calls for ending military aid to Israel. Chris Rabb DSA Calls for a complete arms embargo on Israel. Adam Hamawy Surgeon who treated patients in Gaza; opposes US funding for Iron Dome. Troy Jackson Unseated Susan Collins; accuses Israel of genocide and opposes US military aid. Peggy Flanagan Named by JTA among the Israel critics who won Senate seats. India angle Indian-American candidates Democrats Republicans Independent Uncalled or vacant Majority line Senate100 seats The before count for Democrats includes two independents who caucus with them. House435 seats Before the vote, one seat was held by an independent and two were vacant. Governors50 states Alaska and Kansas uncalled, with Democrats leading both. Sources: The Associated Press (race calls, via The Guardian’s results tracker); NBC News; NPR; WKAR; Jewish Telegraphic Agency; The Forward; Ynet; The Times of Israel; Anadolu Agency, via The Express Tribune; Business Standard; Free Press Journal; IANS. Yair Golan, head of Israel’s centre-left opposition Democrats party, said on X that the US midterm results “reveal just how toxic Netanyahu is among both Democrats and Republicans”. Centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid said the results showed “Israel cannot afford” for Netanyahu to remain in office. “It endangers our security, it jeopardises our democracy, and it will ruin our standing on the global stage,” Lapid said in a social media post. Netanyahu has so far remained silent about the outcome of the US vote. His office did not respond to a request for comment, news agency Reuters reported. The United States has been Israel’s staunchest ally for generations under presidents of both parties, providing billions of dollars a year in military aid since the 1970s. But unlike previous Israeli leaders who courted Democrats and Republicans alike, Netanyahu has openly backed Republicans. Support for Israel among Democrats and some Republicans wavered after Israel launched its military assault in Gaza following the 2023 Hamas attack, and fell further this year after Trump and Netanyahu ordered a joint attack on Iran. Some Democratic candidates made criticism of American military aid to Israel a prominent campaign argument. On Tuesday, Trump, who had endorsed Netanyahu, made an election-day pledge to halt $4 billion in annual funding to Israel, a move he said would take away a “bad talking point” used by Democrats, Reuters reported. The election also highlighted divisions within the Democratic Party over Israel and the future of US support for the country, Ynet reported. Ynet added that at least 36 newly elected candidates associated to varying degrees with the progressive movement won seats in the House and Senate. Five were members of the Democratic Socialists of America, elected to the House for the first time. The progressive camp, however, is not united in its positions on Israel, and not all newly elected members support ending American assistance. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed won a Senate seat, becoming the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. El-Sayed has been critical of Israel. In New York, three candidates backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Brad Lander, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez, were elected to the House. Referring to them as the “mini Mamdanis”, Ynet reported that all three call for an end to American military aid to Israel. It reported victories by other candidates critical of Israeli policy, including Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania, Adam Hamawy in New Jersey and James Talarico in Texas. Their positions on US military assistance and weapons transfers to Israel vary. The results also included victories by candidates who support Israel. In Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff won a second term, while in Ohio former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown returned to the Senate. In Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody defeated Democrat Angie Nixon, keeping the seat in Republican hands, It could be weeks or months before it becomes clear whether Netanyahu or Eisenkot will ultimately have to repair the relationship with Washington. Whichever candidate is chosen first must build a new coalition, or the other will get a chance. If both fail, a new election would be called, Reuters reported. Udi Sommer, a professor of political science at Tel Aviv University, predicted that the incoming Democratic-controlled US Congress would be the most adversarial towards Israel in its history. Although most power over foreign policy still resides with the president, Democrats could apply pressure through hearings, congressional oversight and budgetary measures, he said. “The Democratic landslide and the Republican wipeout encapsulate the next chapter in US-Israel relations,” Sommer said. (With inputs from agencies)