The Israel election results were certified on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, when the Central Elections Committee found no evidence of fraud and gave President Isaac Herzog the count, leaving Netanyahu’s bloc on 53 seats and no side at 61.
According to Al Jazeera, the committee reviewed 9 069 polling stations and found no irregularities that compromised the integrity of the vote or changed its result. The certified count matches the final results published on Friday, 30 October 2026, with Netanyahu’s bloc on 53 seats, Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition on 48 and Arab-led parties on a record 19.
Why the Israel election results were certified
The official results were handed to Herzog at a ceremony at his residence, where committee chairman Noam Sohlberg, the deputy president of the Supreme Court, warned against attempts to cast doubt on the vote. He said:
There are voices seeking to undermine the election results. This is a real danger.
The five-member presidium approved the results with three votes in favour, none against and two abstentions, with Likud and Shas abstaining. In the full committee, 15 members voted in favour, two against and 14 abstained. Acting director general Dean Livne said every complaint had been examined individually and that the results reflected voters’ choices.
Fraud claims behind the Israel election results dispute
Netanyahu’s allies spent days alleging that Arab-led parties stole the vote, possibly with foreign help, without presenting evidence. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose Otzma Yehudit party said it would vote against certification, wrote on X:
The elections were stolen, the results are fraudulent, foreign countries interfered.
Qatar, which some Likud members accused of involvement, rejected the claims as disinformation. The Shin Bet gave the committee a summary of suspected foreign funding and influence without supporting evidence. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said citizens or elected officials could not be investigated “without evidence justifying such an investigation”.
Herzog, who received the results at his residence, urged patience as the allegations were examined. He said he had “full confidence in the work of the Shin Bet, the police and law enforcement authorities”, after the committee asked the Shin Bet to look into the foreign interference suspicions raised before certification.
Who Herzog will ask to form a government
Herzog began consultations with party leaders on Wednesday afternoon, starting with the smaller parties and ending with the larger ones, a reversal of earlier rounds. Thursday, 5 November 2026 covers Ra’am, the Joint List, Eisenkot’s Yashar and, last, Likud, before Herzog decides who has the best chance of building a coalition.
Eisenkot was projected to collect 48 recommendations, from Yashar, B’Yachad, the Democrats and Yisrael Beytenu, against 46 for Netanyahu from Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Shas and Religious Zionism. United Torah Judaism, Ra’am and the Joint List had not announced theirs. Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid wrote on X:
Israel cannot afford to let him remain prime minister.
The new Knesset is due to be sworn in on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. Whoever Herzog picks then has about 28 days to build a coalition of at least 61 seats, and if every attempt fails, Israel would hold another election early next year.
Sources
- Al Jazeera, Israel vote results confirmed as election commission rejects fraud claims
- Ynet, Herzog receives official election results as Eisenkot looks set for first shot at forming government
- PBS NewsHour (AP), Difficult negotiations lie ahead in Israel after Netanyahu's bloc lost its parliamentary majority
- KLTV (AP), Netanyahu claims that Arab-led parties 'stole' the election as his bloc loses majority in Israel
- Swisher Post, Israel election results: Netanyahu bloc short of majority
