Israel election results are final, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc on 53 seats and the opposition on 48, both short of the 61 needed after the vote on Tuesday, 27 October 2026.
According to the Times of Israel, the Central Elections Committee (CEC) published the final count in the early hours of Friday, 30 October 2026, after ballots from soldiers, prisoners and diplomats abroad were counted. Turnout was 77.9% of eligible voters, with 5 716 665 votes cast, the highest in decades.
What are the final Israel election results?
Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats: Likud 27, Otzma Yehudit seven, United Torah Judaism seven, Shas six and Religious Zionism six. That is eight short of the 61 needed in the 120-seat Knesset and down from the 68 the bloc held in the outgoing parliament. Likud is the largest single party.
Former army general Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc won 48 seats: his Yashar party 21, the B’Yachad alliance of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid 12, Yair Golan’s Democrats eight and Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beytenu seven. Three parties missed the 3.25% threshold, with Reservists-Economic the closest on 2.63%.
Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats, up from 10: 11 for the Joint List and eight for Ra’am. Neither main bloc can reach 61 without them. Joint List chairperson Yousef Jabareen said his party was ready to help remove the government:
We will be prepared to pave the way for removing the Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich government and sending them home.
What happens after the Israel election results?
The CEC will present the official results to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, once it completes inquiries into errors or complaints. The Knesset is due to be sworn in on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. Herzog said on Wednesday, 28 October 2026:
We must do everything we can, certainly after yesterday, to avoid another round of elections.
Herzog then meets each party leader, who recommends a candidate. He picks the one with the best chance of forming a government, who gets about 28 days, which can be extended. If that fails, he can choose another, and 61 Knesset members then have 21 days to ask him to assign the task. If all fails, Israel holds a second election.
Who can form a government after the Israel election results?
Eisenkot has said he would only consider partners that recognise Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, endorse the values of the Declaration of Independence and commit to national service. Ra’am is open to joining an Eisenkot-led government, while the Joint List is open to outside support on conditions. Lieberman, who has ruled out some coalitions, said:
Neither Bibi nor Tibi.
Chatham House analyst Yossi Mekelberg said Netanyahu could try to persuade Eisenkot and others to join him while delegitimising Arab parties. Analyst Nimrod Flaschenberg said Netanyahu, whose government ordered full military force in Lebanon in April 2026, will likely push for another election. Analyst Roi Zur said outside support is unlikely on both sides.
Sources
- Times of Israel, With all votes counted, Netanyahu's bloc at 53 seats, Eisenkot's 48, Arab parties 19
- Al Jazeera, How can Israel break its election deadlock?
- Al Jazeera, Five key takeaways from Israel's parliamentary elections
- Ynet, Israel election results: Netanyahu bloc at 53 seats, Eisenkot bloc at 48 as nearly all votes counted
- Jerusalem Post, Israel election results: Benjamin Netanyahu bloc wins 53 seats, opposition holds 48
- Swisher Post, Israel orders full military force in Lebanon despite fragile ceasefire as border villages are demolished
