29.10.2026 18:14
As parliamentary elections continue in Israel, voter turnout has reached 44.9%. This rate is the highest level seen since 1973. Due to the intense interest shown by Arab voters at the polls, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, making successive statements, said, "Emergency. Left-wing activists are flocking to the polls, while right-wing activists are indifferent."
In Israel, approximately 7.3 million voters are at the polls today to determine the new members of the 120-seat Knesset. The election is the first general election held in the country since the October 7, 2023 attacks, which are also regarded as the start of the Gaza war.
THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS BROKEN IN 1988 According to data from Israel's Central Elections Committee, turnout as of 14:00 local time was recorded at 44.9 percent. This was the highest turnout seen at the same stage of elections since 1973. The previous record at the same time was set in 1988 and was 2.7 points below today's level.
NETANYAHU IS URGING SUPPORTERS RELENTLESSLY Following the high turnout, Netanyahu addressed his supporters on his social media account, saying, 'Emergency. Left-wing activists are flocking to the polls, while right-wing activists are indifferent. It is time to wake up. Go out, get others out to vote, vote for Likud.'
'ELECTION INTERFERENCE' CLAIM In a statement after casting his vote in West Jerusalem, Netanyahu alleged that an attempt was being made to interfere in the elections, claiming that police had detained three people carrying money in their bags with the aim of bribing voters.
STRONG INTEREST FROM ARAB VOTERS AT THE POLLS The unease in Netanyahu's camp and the provocative rhetoric aimed at mobilizing the right-wing base are driven by the intense interest Arab voters are showing at the polls, especially in the Negev, and the goal of toppling the far-right coalition.
Polls are expected to close at 22:00 local time.
Yashar Party Chairman Gadi Eisenkot cast his vote at a school in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv. WHO IS RUNNING IN THE ELECTION? More than 30 parties and lists are competing in the election to pass the 3.25 percent electoral threshold and send members to the 120-seat parliament. There are two main blocs competing to form the next government: the first is the coalition led by Netanyahu's Likud party and joined by several far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties. The second is the main opposition coalition consisting of the Yashar Party of 66-year-old Gadi Eisenkot, who served as Chief of Staff from 2015 to 2019, the Democrats, the Yisrael Beiteinu Party and the Together Alliance. According to the latest poll results, Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Chief of Staff Eisenkot are neck and neck in the race for prime minister.
A majority in parliament requires 61 of the 120 seats, but no party has so far reached that number on its own. Recent public opinion polls also showed that neither of the two main blocs would be able to secure a majority.
Israeli President Herzog also cast his vote in the general election. PREDICTIONS The Yashar Party led by former Chief of Staff Eisenkot is expected to win 22 to 24 seats, while Likud, led by Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is expected to win 21 to 23 seats. The Together Alliance led by former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid is projected to win 13 to 14 seats, and the Democrats led by former Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan are projected to win 8 to 9 seats. The Joint List, made up of three Arab-led parties (Hadash, Balad and Ta'al), is expected to win 9 to 10 seats. Yisrael Beiteinu, led by Avigdor Liberman, is expected to obtain 8 seats.
United Torah Judaism, which includes the two largest Ashkenazi Haredi parties, is projected to win 8 seats. The Shas Party, which represents the Sephardic Haredi community and is led by Aryeh Deri, is expected to win 7 to 8 seats, and Otzma Yehudit, led by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, is also expected to win 7 to 8 seats.
The far-right Religious Zionism-Zehut, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Moshe Feiglin, is projected to obtain 5 to 6 seats. The Ra'am party, led by Mansur Abbas, is expected to win 5 to 6 seats.
After the election, parties have 28 days to form a coalition reaching 61 seats, and this period can be extended by another 14 days.