Israelis are waiting on the last of the votes, and the result so far is a parliament with no obvious majority and a prime minister whose party lost ground but remains the largest. That combination has set off weeks of bargaining that will decide who governs a country at war, and whether Arab-led parties for the first time become partners in a governing coalition rather than a bloc outside it.

For Christians who pray for Jerusalem, this is not a distant political horse race. The coalition that emerges will shape Israel’s approach to Gaza, to the hostages still held there, to the ultra-Orthodox draft exemption that has divided the country, and to the international pressure that has grown since October 7, 2023.

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From the Associated Press:

His top challenger, centrist former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, has left the door open to partnering with Arab parties under certain conditions, including their recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and of Hamas as an extremist group.

Israeli voters choose parties, not individuals. With 85% of votes counted, Netanyahu’s Likud party has 20.8% and Eisenkot’s Yashar party has 16.1%. Arab-led parties had 14.9%.

Voting reflected unease over Netanyahu’s alliance with the far-right and anger in a war-weary nation over military draft exemptions for the significant ultra-Orthodox Jewish population. The Likud party’s share of the vote declined from 23.4% in 2022. But results suggest opponents were unable to capitalize on the grief caused by the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack to decisively push him from office.

Neither bloc reaches the 61 seats required for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Israeli media projected 53 seats for Likud and its allies, 48 for Yashar and its partners, and 19 for Arab-led parties. Absentee ballots from military personnel and diplomats, roughly half a million of them, are still being counted. Turnout hit nearly 78 percent, the highest since 1999, a figure that cuts both ways for the prime minister’s opponents.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges he denies, has ruled out working with the Arab-led parties and called such a partnership treasonous. Those parties have equally ruled out serving under him. He warned Wednesday against a “dangerous government” that might include them, and argued that only he can assemble a coalition. His supporters credit him with guarding Israel’s security and Jewish identity against outside pressure and domestic critics.

Eisenkot, whose son was killed in Gaza, told supporters that after such a high turnout another election would be a mistake and that respecting the will of the people was his duty. Some of his likely partners have already refused any alliance with Arab-led parties, and it is unclear whether they would reverse that to remove Netanyahu. President Isaac Herzog urged the parties to avoid another round of elections; he is not obligated to tap the leader of the largest party to form a government. One Arab party, the United Arab List, joined a governing coalition briefly in 2021, and its leader Mansour Abbas said Wednesday that his community is “not on the sidelines.” If no majority emerges, Israel could return to the polls early next year, as it did five times between 2019 and 2022.

Psalm 122:6 commands, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you'” (NKJV). As intercessors, let us pray for a government stable enough to defend the country, finish the work against Hamas, and bring the hostages home. The church’s calling is to bless Israel and to ask God for leaders who will act wisely under enormous pressure. Let’s pray for Prime Minister Netanyahu and his family as he faces a trial and coalition negotiations at once. Ask the Lord to give Israel leaders after His own heart and to keep His covenant people in His hand.

How are you praying about this issue? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments below.

(Excerpt from the Associated Press. Photo Credit: Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok).