Israel election deadlocked as neither bloc nears majority

Partial results in Israel's election put Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc on about 56 seats and Gadi Eisenkot's bloc on about 48, both short of the 61 needed to govern, with Arab parties on about 16 as counting continues.

Why it matters: On the latest count figures, the only majority combination in view is Eisenkot's bloc together with the Arab parties, which several opposition parties have pledged not to work with, while a record number of special votes still to be counted could shift the result.

Data as of Correction 2026-10-28T04:49:36-04:00: an earlier version of this item, published minutes earlier in this run, gave exit poll figures of 59 seats for Netanyahu's bloc, 57 for Eisenkot's bloc and 4 for Ra'am, attributed to the BBC. The BBC article read in full for this item gives no such tally, and those figures are withdrawn. Seat figures here are Deutsche Welle's live count coverage, read in full in this run via the live browser: at 57.3 percent of votes counted, Central Elections Committee partial results reported by the Times of Israel put the pro-Netanyahu bloc on 55 seats, the anti-Netanyahu bloc on 49, Likud on 27 and Yashar on 21, with Arab parties on 15; DW's latest post, at around two thirds counted, put the blocs on about 56 and about 48, with Arab parties on about 16. The BBC News report by Yolande Knell, published October 28, 2026 and read in full in this run, is the source for turnout above 77 percent, the leaders' statements and the process that follows. Figures are partial results, not certified. Developing item.

Partial results in Israel’s parliamentary election leave both blocs short of the 61 seats needed to form a government in the 120 seat Knesset. Deutsche Welle’s live coverage of the count put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc on about 56 seats after around two thirds of votes had been counted, the bloc led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot on about 48, and the Arab parties on about 16, after an earlier snapshot at 57.3 percent counted had Likud as the largest single party on 27 seats and Eisenkot’s Yashar on 21. A record 650,000 special votes, cast outside assigned polling stations and worth roughly 14 seats, are counted later and could still change the picture.

Netanyahu stopped short of declaring victory, said Likud was the largest party and called for a strong right wing government, rejecting any government that relies on Arab parties. Eisenkot said voters had chosen change and voted against Netanyahu continuing as prime minister, and pledged to work to form a government. On the latest figures, Eisenkot’s bloc and the Arab parties together would hold a majority, and Mansour Abbas, whose Ra’am party was part of the coalition that briefly unseated Netanyahu in 2021, has said he wants to join the next government, while several opposition parties have pledged not to work with Arab majority lists. Turnout reached more than 77 percent, the BBC reported.

Israel election deadlocked as neither bloc nears majority

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