Israel's Election Count Leaves No Clear Majority in the Knesset

With 91% of votes counted, no grouping in Israel's election has reached the 61 seats needed for a majority in the Knesset, the country's parliament. The Guardian's live coverage reported on 29 October 2026 that Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc was projected to win 53 seats, and Gadi Eisenkot's grouping 48.

Palestinian parties were on track to win a record 19 seats, according to the same count. Yousef Jabareen, head of the Arab-majority Joint List, said his party was willing to cooperate with an opposition-led government to unseat Netanyahu, but was not open to joining such a coalition outright.

The vote took place on 27 October 2026, the first national election since the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023. Exit polls showed Netanyahu and Eisenkot deadlocked, and Netanyahu was set to remain as caretaker prime minister, a term for a leader who stays in office while a new government is being formed. AFP reported that both men vowed to form a government.

Eisenkot, who chairs the Yashar party, appeared to rule out a coalition with Palestinian parties after the vote, the Guardian reported on 28 October. Yair Golan, leader of the centre-left Democrats, is a junior partner in Eisenkot's bloc. Golan planned to meet Eisenkot and Yair Lapid, the number two in the opposition B'Yachad party, on Thursday 30 October for coalition talks.

The process of choosing a government now rests with President Isaac Herzog, who must decide which candidate to tap to form one. Herzog urged the parties to keep "an open mind" in order to avoid another round of elections.

A separate dispute has also emerged. Netanyahu's Likud party filed a complaint with Israel's Central Elections Committee alleging that Arab parties had compromised the integrity of the election. The committee said it had received the complaint and would examine the claims as part of its routine post-election review. Likud accused Arab-led parties, without offering evidence, of "stealing" the election, and demanded that the police and the Shin Bet security service investigate.

The final tally of absentee ballots was still under way on 29 October, and it was not expected to significantly change the results. The Central Elections Committee runs an official website, bechirot.gov.il, which includes a dedicated portal for the results of the elections to the 26th Knesset.