Netanyahu and Eisenkot Both Say They Should Form Israel's Next Government

Israel's election is too close to call. Benjamin Netanyahu held a slim lead over Gadi Eisenkot as counting continued into Wednesday, October 28, with well over half of the votes tallied, according to Deadline. Neither man has declared victory. Overnight, both told supporters they should be the one to form the next government.

Israelis voted on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, to choose the 26th Knesset, the country's parliament. It has 120 seats, and a party or group of parties needs at least 61 to hold a majority on its own. Forming a government means building a coalition, a group of parties that agrees to back one leader.

On the morning after the vote, Israeli news networks projected Netanyahu's bloc, a group led by his Likud party with right-wing allies, to win 55 seats. Eisenkot's bloc was projected to win 49. Neither side reached the 61 needed to govern alone. Likud was still projected to be the largest single party.

The race moved back and forth as the ballots were counted. At one stage, Eisenkot's opposition bloc was ahead. The Jerusalem Post reported that Netanyahu pulled ahead once more than 3 million votes had been counted. Earlier, the exit poll had shown the two blocs almost level.

Parties led by Israel's Arab minority were projected to do better than expected. Their seat count could matter a great deal in building any coalition, because a government will need votes beyond one bloc.

Netanyahu cast his ballot at a polling station in Jerusalem on election day, according to Reuters. The Associated Press reported that counting was still going on Wednesday morning with no clear winner (AP).

Some ballots still need extra handling. The Central Elections Committee, the body that runs Israeli elections, recruited staff to count votes cast in double envelopes. Official results are posted on the committee's website, bechirot.gov.il, and the committee has a channel for questions about the results.

For voters, the practical point is simple. The official count decides the seats, and the seats decide which bloc has the best chance of putting together a coalition. Until that count is complete, both leaders are making their case in public, and neither can yet point to a settled majority.