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No majority in Israel's election: Netanyahu's bloc wins 53 seats, Eisenkot's 48, Arab parties 19

86 articles from 14 sources
First reported on Tuesday 27 October 2026 at 01:04 EDT by The Philadelphia Inquirer·Latest article on Sunday 1 November 2026 at 06:01 EST

Summary

On Tuesday 27 October Israel held its first election since the 2023 Hamas attack, a vote many consider the country's most consequential in decades, Bloomberg reported, officials saying voter turnout was the largest in decades, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, and exit polls put opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bloomberg reported. As votes were counted on 28 October Netanyahu edged ahead of Eisenkot, though neither had a clear path toward forming a government, Bloomberg reported, and Netanyahu's rivals weighed joining forces with Arab parties, the Inquirer and PBS NewsHour reported. Netanyahu's party and its allies won 53 seats in Parliament, short of the outright majority needed to form a government, and the main opposition bloc led by Eisenkot 48, Bloomberg reported on 29 October and The NY Times, citing final results, on 30 October, while Netanyahu and the party amplified unproven claims that Arab-led parties had 'stolen' the election, the Inquirer reported, and Israel's election monitor called for an investigation into possible foreign meddling, Bloomberg reported. Weeks of difficult negotiations lie ahead, PBS NewsHour reported on 30 October, the parties having to team up for at least 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, according to the Inquirer. Having won a record 19 seats, the two Arab-led parties say they want to work with opposition factions to take down the Netanyahu government, The NY Times reported on 1 November.

Latest: Having won a record 19 seats in Israel's Parliament, the two Arab-led parties say they want to work with opposition factions to take down the Netanyahu government, The NY Times reported.

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How it unfolded

  1. Sunday 1 November

    Having won a record 19 seats in Israel's Parliament, the two Arab-led parties say they want to work with opposition factions to take down the Netanyahu government, The NY Times reported.

  2. Saturday 31 October

    Bloomberg's Israel bureau chief Ethan Bronner said neither Netanyahu nor the opposition has a clear path to forming a government, potentially setting up difficult coalition negotiations or another vote.

  3. Friday 30 October

    Final results gave Netanyahu's party and its allies 53 seats, short of the outright majority needed to form a government, and Eisenkot's bloc 48, The NY Times reported, as Netanyahu's party claimed the election was 'stolen', PBS NewsHour reported, CBS News reporting Netanyahu's contentious claim that a foreign country meddled to boost voting by Israel's Arab minority, and The Philadelphia Inquirer and PBS NewsHour wrote that weeks of difficult negotiations lie ahead, the parties needing at least 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.

  4. Thursday 29 October

    Israel's election monitor called for an investigation into possible meddling by foreign entities after Netanyahu and some far-right allies decried the high turnout among Arab citizens, Bloomberg reported, Netanyahu and the party amplifying unproven claims that Arab-led parties had 'stolen' the election, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, and Netanyahu's bloc secured 53 seats against 48 for the main opposition bloc, short of a majority, Bloomberg reported, the Inquirer writing that the final results left the path to a government unclear.

  5. Wednesday 28 October

    Benjamin Netanyahu edged ahead of Gadi Eisenkot as votes were counted, though neither had a clear path toward forming a government, Bloomberg reported, Netanyahu's rivals weighing joining forces with Arab parties, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer and PBS NewsHour, and The NY Times described an inconclusive vote, Netanyahu's supporters relieved and opponents worried that the mixed results could lead to a political stalemate.

  6. Tuesday 27 October

    Israelis voted in the country's first election since the 2023 Hamas attack, officials saying turnout was the largest in decades, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The NY Times reported, and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot took the lead over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu according to exit polls, Bloomberg reported.

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