30.10.2026 03:13
In the general elections held in Israel, more than 90 percent of the votes have been counted. The right bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained at 53 seats, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot remained at 48 seats. While neither bloc reached the 61 seats needed to form a government, the Arab parties, which won 19 seats, became the key position. Israel police found Likud's claim that "Arab parties stole votes" unfounded.
A clear majority did not emerge from the ballot box in Israel. Although Netanyahu's Likud party is the largest party, the right-wing bloc fell short of the number of seats needed to form a government on its own.
NEITHER BLOC REACHED A MAJORITY
The Israel Central Elections Committee (CEC) announced that more than 90 percent of ballots had been counted. According to the current picture, the right-wing bloc led by Netanyahu won 53 seats in the 120-seat Israeli parliament (Knesset). The opposition bloc led by Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot remained at 48 seats. Both groups fell short of the 61-seat majority required to form a coalition government.
LIKUD BECAME THE LARGEST PARTY
In the distribution by party, Netanyahu's Likud party came first with 26 seats, while Eisenkot's Yashar party won 21 seats. Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad party and the Joint List each won 12 seats. The Democrats remained at 8 seats. Otzma Yehudit, Shas, United Torah Judaism, Ra'am, and Our Home Israel (Yisrael Beytenu) each won 7 seats, while Religious Zionism won 6 seats.
ARAB PARTIES IN A KEY POSITION
In elections where Arab voters turned out in high numbers, the Joint List and Ra'am parties reached a total of 19 seats. Since neither bloc reached 61 seats, the stance of the Arab parties could be decisive in the formation of the government.
FINAL RESULTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON NOVEMBER 4
The Elections Committee announced that the counting of approximately 430,000 to 480,000 votes cast by soldiers, diplomats, and prisoners, referred to as "double envelopes," will begin on Thursday. While it was noted that these votes could change the seat distribution, it was reported that the official and final results of the elections will be announced on November 4.
LIKUD CLAIMS "VOTES WERE STOLEN"
Making a statement after the election results, the Likud party accused Arab parties of irregularities and vote theft. Likud claimed that votes were stolen at many polling stations in areas where Israeli citizens of Palestinian origin live densely. The party announced that it had submitted hundreds of statements and pieces of evidence regarding these claims to the police, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), and the Central Elections Committee.
POLICE: CLAIMS ARE UNFOUNDED
Israeli police, however, denied Likud's claims. In a written statement from the police, it was stated that there was no intelligence data supporting Likud's accusations. The statement noted that no concrete evidence or findings were found in the investigations that would confirm the allegations of irregularities. The Israel Hayom newspaper reported that Likud's claims were being examined by the Central Elections Committee.
JOINT LIST SIGNALS SUPPORT FROM OUTSIDE
The Arab alliance Joint List said in a statement that high voter turnout was decisive in preventing Netanyahu from obtaining a majority. Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen stated that they could provide outside support to an anti-Netanyahu government without entering the coalition.
Opposition leader Eisenkot, meanwhile, stated that they were focused on the goals of bringing about change and forming a new government.
EYES ON HERZOG'S CONSULTATIONS
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to begin consultations on forming a government next week.