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Israel election: Majority remains elusive after final count
Published 10/27/2026Published October 27, 2026
With all the votes counted, the pro-Netanyahu bloc finished ahead of Gadi Eisenkot's anti-Netanyahu bloc. But as neither grouping won a majority, tough coalition talks are ahead. Follow DW.
What you need to know
Israel's election turnout was the highest in decades
The final vote count showed Netanyahu's Likud-led bloc finished with 53 seats
The anti-Netanyahu bloc, led by Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, claimed 48 seats
At least 61 seats are needed to form a secure majority
As neither party won an outright majority, difficult coalition talks are expected in the weeks ahead
Follow below for all the latest on the Israeli election.
Tricky task of forming a working coalition begins
10/30/2026October 30, 2026
Tricky task of forming a working coalition begins
Ahead of the election, two clear coalitions had formed. On the one side, the ruling coalition of right-wing, far-right and religious parties centered around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party.
On the other side was the anti-Netanyahu bloc, made up of a coalition of right-wing, centrist and liberal parties whose unifying principle was to oust Netanyahu from power.
However, neither of these blocs was able to secure a majority of seats, meaning a simple path to forming a government is off the table.
The task of figuring out a new working coalition is now beginning, with the question of whether the two Arab-Israeli lists, which together secured an unprecedented 19 seats, may form part of a future government or at least provide some form of support.
Yair Golan, chairman of the left-liberal Democrats, said he had met with opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Mansur Abbas, head of the Arab Ra'am party.
He has called for discussions with the Arab-led parties, saying after his meeting with Eisenkot that "the rescue of Israel is at stake," in a post on X.
It remains to be seen if the right-wing factions of Eisenkot's anti-Netanyahu bloc would ultimately entertain the possibility of working with the Arab-led parties.
Another option that has been aired is the possibility of a unity government including both Netanyahu and Eisenkot, but such a move may be similarly distasteful for moderate voters.
Edited by:Sean Sinico
Final count released
10/29/2026October 29, 2026
Final count released
The final count of ballots from Tuesday's vote has been released by Israel's Central Election Committee.
Netanyahu's bloc with a total of 53 seats
Likud - 27
UTJ - 7
Otzma Yehudit - 7
Shas - 6
RZP - 6
Eisenkot's bloc with a total of 48 seats
Yashar - 21
B'Yachad - 12
The Democrats - 8
Yisrael Beytenu - 7
The Arab Israeli parties with a total of 19 seats
Joint List - 11
Ra'am - 8
Edited by:Sean Sinico
READ: Authorities dispute Netanyahu’s fraud claims
10/29/2026October 29, 2026
READ: Authorities dispute Netanyahu’s fraud claims
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud claims large-scale foreign involvement in the elections led by Qatar and Turkey, with Israel’s authorities so far refuting the claims.
Israeli police said there is no evidence to support Likud's claims, neither "investigative” nor "informative.”
A high-ranking Central Election Committee official, too, denied the allegations.
Read more in depth coverage of that story, right here.
Edited by:Roshni Majumdar
Israel elections: Where things stand on Thursday afternoon
10/29/2026October 29, 2026
Israel elections: Where things stand on Thursday afternoon
With the final tally of votes in Israel's high-stakes parliamentary elections expected on Thursday evening, we take a look at today's events thus far.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party doubled down on allegations that the election has been stolen by Arab parties.
Netanyahu said that evidence would be handed to police, Shin Bet and the Central Elections Committee.
Netanyahu also referred to statements about the "involvement of foreign entities that interfered and bribed voters in favor of Arab parties," saying they were "an unprecedented shock."
Netanyahu's main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, said political actors should not "exploit the information" that had yet to be clarified "in order undermine the official results."
Qatar meanwhile, has denied any involvement in such allegations: "We categorically deny allegations that Qatar has interfered in Israeli elections or funded any activities intended to influence their outcome," it said, adding it is accused of buying off the Arab vote.
Qatar’s foreign minister spokesman Majed Al Ansari spoke of "accusations made by certain Israeli politicians" and said they had "launched yet another disinformation campaign aiming to drag Qatar into Israeli political disputes."
Sami Abu Shehadeh, chair of one of the parties in the Arab-led Joint List, called the claims a new phase of "incitement" against Arab-led groups.
The head of the Arab-led Ra'am party, Mansour Abbas, welcomed any investigation into election interference. He said his party had nothing to do with it.
Israel's Central Elections Committee poured cold water on vote fraud allegeations saying "there is no basis."
"The Knesset elections were conducted lawfully. The integrity of the elections at polling stations was rigorously safeguarded, and to the best of our knowledge, there is no basis for allegations of systematic violations of election integrity," The Times of Israel quoted acting Central Elections Committee director general Dean Livne as having written in a letter.
Edited by:Roshni Majumdar
Netanyahu, Eisenkot blocs far from majority as count nears its end
10/29/2026October 29, 2026
Netanyahu, Eisenkot blocs far from majority as count nears its end
With 89.8% of ballots counted, the bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to win 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, compared with 48 seats for the anti-Netanyahu alliance led by former military commander Gadi Eisenkot, according to the Central Election Committee (CEC) as reported by the Times of Israel.
That leaves both blocs far short of the 61 seats needed for a majority.
The two majority Arab parties seem set to win 19 seats between them, a record tally that beats their previous high of 15 seats.
Netanyahu has ruled out working with the Arab parties to gain a majority, but there have been signs that some parties in Eisenkot's bloc might be open to the idea, though Eisenkot himself has also previously rejected it.
The absentee ballots — "double-envelope" votes — whose count began on Thursday are not expected to materially affect the final results, despite making up almost 10% of the overall vote.
No clear winner emerges in Israel's election
Edited by:Wesley Rahn
Final tally underway, including 'double envelope' absentee ballots
10/29/2026October 29, 2026
Final tally underway, including 'double envelope' absentee ballots
The Central Elections Commission (CEC) has said that counting of so-called double envelope ballots began early Thursday morning, according to the Times of Israel.
Such ballots are cast mostly by soldiers, prisoners and diplomats stationed abroad, as well as others unable to vote at their assigned polling stations.
According to Israeli media, the CEC is reckoning with between 430,000 and 480,000 such ballots, lower than its previous prediction of some 600,000 but still representing just under 10% of votes cast.
This could theoretically still impact seat distribution to a considerable extent.
The Times of Israel also cited the CEC as saying that not all regular votes have been completely counted.
A full vote count is tentatively expected by Thursday afternoon, although the official finalized results will not be issued until November 4.
Edited by:Wesley Rahn
UN rights chief: Next government should 'change course massively'
10/28/2026October 28, 2026
UN rights chief: Next government should 'change course massively'
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, told reporters in New York that he hopes a new Israeli government will "change course massively" and respect international law.
"The message is: don't continue the current course of warfare where you think you are above international law, because I think that's what we have frankly seen in the current environment," Türk said, as relayed by the AFP news agency.
"Israel has its obligations under international law, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and they need to respect them," he said. "And I hope that the next government will do precisely that and change course massively."
Türk also said in a statement on Monday that Israel's operation in recent days in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron raised serious concerns about "unnecessary and disproportionate" use of force.
He said that more than 2,000 people had been displaced, with homes and commercial property destroyed and free movement impeded by the lockdown.
"Collective punishment is a grave violation of international law," Türk said. "Threats to empty and erase entire neighborhoods also raise serious concerns of ethnic cleansing."
Edited by:Alex Berry
'Arab Israelis have trusted democracy,' Greens' Omid Nouripour tells DW
10/28/2026October 28, 2026
'Arab Israelis have trusted democracy,' Greens' Omid Nouripour tells DW
Omid Nouripour, one of the deputy speakers in Germany's Bundestag parliament, has told DW that the high turnout in Israel was a testament to the strength of the country's democracy.
"For now, of course, we do not know what the coalition-building will look like, but the people have put their trust in democracy," Nouripour said. "Above all, Arab Israelis have trusted democracy and gone to the polls in droves."
Speaking to DW's Rosalia Romaniec, as he accompanies German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on his state visit to China, Nouripour also said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's and other right-wing parties' religiously-charged campaign strategy appeared to have backfired.
"This big campaign from Netanyahu's camp, first and foremost against the Arab Israelis, has on the one hand mobilized people to such an extent that there is no longer a majority for this camp," he said.
Nouripour, a former Green party co-leader, has been a Bundestag member for 20 years. Born in Tehran, his family moved from Iran to Germany when he was a teenager.
Edited by:Alex Berry
WATCH: Early Israeli election results point to deadlock
10/28/2026October 28, 2026
WATCH: Early Israeli election results point to deadlock
Israel's election has produced no clear winner, leaving both Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot short of a path to power. Israel could now be facing weeks of political uncertainty.
Edited by:Alex Berry
IN DEPTH: What would a new Israeli government mean for Arab neighbors?
10/28/2026October 28, 2026
IN DEPTH: What would a new Israeli government mean for Arab neighbors?
A new Israeli government is unlikely to bring big changes on controversial topics like Palestinian statehood and Israeli troops in Lebanon and Syria, experts say.
Some small positives may be possible though.
Read DW's full report on what might change for Arab countries after Israel's election.
Edited by:Alex Berry
GRAPHIC — Knesset seats by party, and by bloc
10/28/2026October 28, 2026
GRAPHIC — Knesset seats by party, and by bloc
Edited by:Alex Berry
Election commission says almost half a million 'double envelope' ballots still to be counted
10/28/2026October 28, 2026
Election commission says almost half a million 'double envelope' ballots still to be counted
The Central Elections Commission (CEC) estimates that there are still between 430,000 and 480,000 so-called "double envelope" ballots to count, according to Israeli media.
These are cast primarily by soldiers, prisoners and diplomats stationed abroad, as well as others unable to vote at their designated polling stations.
This estimate is lower than the CEC's previous prediction of around 600,000 but it remains subject to change.
Such ballots are still being received and processed, and officials also have to double-check that the individuals sending them in have not also voted at a physical polling station on election day.
Because of these complications, they tend to be among the last votes to be counted.
A full vote count is tentatively expected by tomorrow afternoon, although the official finalized results will only follow on November 4.
If the CEC's estimated range is roughly correct, this group of ballots would equate to not very far shy of 10% of the total number of votes cast. As such, they have at least the theoretical potential to impact the seat distribution quite considerably.
Edited by:Alex Berry
President Herzog says it's imperative 'to avoid another round of elections'
10/28/2026October 28, 2026
President Herzog says it's imperative 'to avoid another round of elections'
President Isaac Herzog, who will have a key role in choosing someone to try to put together the next government, has urged all parties to "come with an open mind" when the time for negotiations comes.
"I will receive the official election results next week," Herzog said. "I wil then begin the process of the consultations here, hearing from each and every fraction, asking questions, and holding discussions."
Typically the president chooses the leader of the party with the most votes to try to form a government although he is not required to follow this convention. That nominee then has 42 days to try to set up a working coalition.
"One thing must be clear, and I said this before the elections too," Herzog said. "We must do everything we can, certainly after yesterday, to avoid another round of elections. So I expect everyone who comes here to come with an open mind."
