Israel · 26th Knesset · 27 October 2026

Israel's 2026 election left nobody with 61 seats

Netanyahu's bloc lost its majority. The Eisenkot-led opposition can only pass 61 with Arab-led parties that most of its leaders have ruled out.

53Netanyahu
bloc
48Eisenkot-led
opposition
19Arab-led
parties

vizmaya desk · 3 November 2026 · results as of the final count, before certification on 4 November

The flat-roofed, colonnaded Knesset building in Jerusalem under a blue sky, behind a fence and shrubs
The Knesset in Jerusalem, where 120 members are due to be sworn in on 10 November. Photo: Fallaner / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The count

Neither bloc reaches the 61-seat line

Of the Knesset's 120 seats, Netanyahu's bloc won 53, eight short of a majority. The Jewish-led opposition under Gadi Eisenkot won 48, thirteen short. Arab-led parties won 19, their highest total ever, and sit apart from both.

Source: Central Elections Committee final count, 30 Oct, via Times of Israel, Ynet and Al Jazeera. Certification due 4 Nov.

Arab-led parties

19

Joint List 11, Ra'am 8. A record: the previous high was 15 in 2020, and the outgoing Knesset had 10. Not part of any agreed coalition.

Eisenkot-led opposition

48

Yashar 21, B'Yachad 12, the Democrats 8, Yisrael Beytenu 7. Thirteen short of a majority on its own.

Netanyahu bloc

53

Likud 27, Otzma Yehudit 7, United Torah Judaism 7, Shas 6, Religious Zionism 6. Down from 68 in the outgoing Knesset.

Party by party

Likud is still the largest party, with 27 seats

Likud won 27 seats and Eisenkot's Yashar 21. No other list won more than 12. Eleven lists crossed the 3.25% threshold.

Source: CEC final count via Times of Israel and Al Jazeera (1 Nov). Vote shares are left out until the certified table is published.

The last seat

Counting about 600,000 double-envelope ballots moved one seat from Shas to Ra'am. The blocs went from 54 / 48 / 18 to 53 / 48 / 19.

Source: Times of Israel, final count, 30 Oct

Coalition arithmetic Hypothetical

Every route to 61 runs through a party someone has ruled out

Netanyahu's bloc plus Ra'am makes exactly 61, but Netanyahu has ruled that out. The opposition plus Ra'am makes 56. Adding the Joint List as well makes 67, which most opposition leaders reject.

Arithmetic only, not coalition offers. Sources: Haaretz (67-seat framing), Jewish Insider (56), Al Jazeera (1–2 Nov).

The red lines

Who says they will sit with whom

Benjamin NetanyahuLikudRules out a government backed by Arab parties. On 2 Nov said he was open to a "broad national government" under him.
Gadi EisenkotYasharSaid in September that Arab parties did not meet his conditions. Per KAN, rules out joining a Netanyahu-led government.
Naftali BennettB'YachadRules out sitting with Arab parties. Backs Eisenkot for prime minister.
Avigdor LibermanYisrael BeytenuBacks Eisenkot; rejects a minority government that relies on Arab parties. On 3 Nov said a government without them is possible.
Yair GolanThe DemocratsThe exception: wants a government "in partnership" with Arab parties. Met Joint List leaders on 3 Nov.
Mansour AbbasRa'amWants in; has reportedly asked for the internal security portfolio.
Joint Listled by JabareenWill not join a coalition, but could support one from outside.

Sources: Democracy Now!, Jewish Insider, Times of Israel, JTA, Anadolu (3 Nov), Jerusalem Post (2 Nov), NBC, Al Jazeera (2 Nov).

"…a government that is backed by anti-Zionist Arab parties"

Netanyahu, on what Israel must not have, 28 Oct (via Democracy Now!)

"…will survive less than a year"

Liberman, on a minority government reliant on Arab parties (Times of Israel)

Who turned out

Arab turnout jumped 24 points, to 77%

National turnout rose from 70.6% in 2022 to 77.9%, the highest in decades. In Arab and Druze localities it rose from 53.2% to about 77%, close to 1996's 79.3%.

Sources: CEC via Times of Israel and Al Jazeera (30 Oct); Israel Democracy Institute, Dr. Arik Rudnitzky (3 Nov). Arab figure excludes mixed cities.

Where it rose

The biggest jump was in unrecognized villages

Turnout in the Negev's unrecognized Bedouin villages roughly doubled, from about 38% to 74%. The Triangle rose from 52.5% to 78.4%.

Source: Israel Democracy Institute polling-station analysis, 3 Nov. Negev Bedouin 2026 figure is "approaching 80%".

~840k

votes for Arab-led lists, up 64% on 2022

Times of Israel, citing final CEC results

87%

turnout in Sakhnin, the highest of any city

Times of Israel

Who voted for whom

In Jewish towns, the poorer the town, the larger Netanyahu's share

Bizportal compared results with the Central Bureau of Statistics' socioeconomic clusters, leaving out Arab localities. Netanyahu's bloc took about 72% in clusters 1 to 4 and about 25% in clusters 8 to 10.

Source: Bizportal (Anat Gilad, 28 Oct), live count with about two-thirds of votes in; CBS socioeconomic clusters (1 = poorest, 10 = richest). Jewish localities only. Values not reported are left blank.

Read with care

Cluster 1 is just two localities, presumably Haredi cities, so its 96% reflects religion as much as income. Arab towns, also low-income, vote overwhelmingly against Netanyahu's bloc.

The fraud claim

Of 700 Likud complaints, one came with concrete evidence of bribery

Haaretz reviewed 700 of Likud's complaints. About a fifth concerned things that could affect the vote. Five alleged bribery, and only one included concrete details and documentation.

Source: Haaretz, "Likud Is Crying Election Theft…", 2 Nov. Likud's own complaint totals vary: 775 (Jerusalem Post) or 1,200 (JNS).

Likud, 28 Oct

Said the election was "stolen" by Arab parties, alleging bribery, threats, forgery and "prohibited software". Later alleged Qatari-funded interference and asked to delay certification.

Police

A police source: "no investigative- or intelligence-based supporting evidence". Fewer fraud complaints than in past campaigns.

Times of Israel; Haaretz, 29 Oct

Committee

The vote was "conducted lawfully". On 2 Nov the chair, Justice Noam Sohlberg, refused Likud's request to delay certification.

Two probes remain open: a small bribery case and a Shin Bet foreign-interference inquiry. Officials say neither can change the result.

What happens next

If every attempt fails, Israel votes again by early May

President Isaac Herzog must name a candidate by 11 November. If each step runs its full course and every attempt fails, the Knesset dissolves in early February and a new election follows within 90 days. Netanyahu stays caretaker throughout.

Mechanics: Al Jazeera explainer, 1 Nov; President's Residence schedule. Dates are latest-case, counted from 11 Nov.

Opinion

David Horovitz, editor of the Times of Israel, argues the stalemate means Netanyahu won, because he stays on as caretaker.

Opinion

Former intelligence officer Michael Milshtein expects Netanyahu to "seriously consider" military steps against Iran. A caretaker prime minister keeps war powers.

Nine claims, checked

A TLDR News Global explainer on the result made nine claims. Here is how each holds up against reporting as of 3 Nov.

  1. No clear majority; gridlock ConfirmedThough parties opposed to Netanyahu total 67.
  2. 53 for Netanyahu, 48 for Eisenkot ConfirmedCall it a bloc, not a coalition.
  3. Arab-led parties, 19 seats, are kingmakers Partly"Potential" kingmakers: most refuse to rely on them.
  4. No straightforward path to a government ConfirmedPositions are still moving.
  5. Divided over judicial reform and October 7 PartlyMisses the Haredi draft; cost of living topped one poll.
  6. Netanyahu strong in poorer, Haredi areas PartlyHolds for Jewish localities only.
  7. Likud's fraud claims unsubstantiated ConfirmedOfficials found no evidence; two probes still open.
  8. Another vote would disenfranchise Arab citizens Opinion"Sideline" fits better: no one loses the vote.
  9. Netanyahu may use conflict to mask fractures OpinionA question of motive; can't be verified.

What the video missed

Haredi conscription. Shas fell to 6 seats, its worst since 1992, and lost roughly 30% of its votes. Party officials blamed its hardline stance on the draft.

Jerusalem Post; Times of Israel

Opinion

IDI's Arik Rudnitzky calls the Arab mobilization "both an opportunity and a test for Israeli democracy".

Sources & method

  1. Central Elections Committee final count (30 Oct), via Times of Israel, Ynetnews and Al Jazeera. The CEC site, votes26.bechirot.gov.il, could not be reached.
  2. Israel Democracy Institute, Arab turnout (3 Nov).
  3. Haaretz, Likud complaints review (2 Nov).
  4. Bizportal × CBS clusters (28 Oct), partial count.
  5. Jerusalem Post, JTA, NPR, PBS/AP, CNN, Anadolu, Jewish Insider.

Method

Seat totals are final but not yet certified. Party vote shares are left out until the certified table appears. Coalition sums are arithmetic, not offers. Opinions are attributed by name. Photo: Fallaner / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

More data stories: all vizmaya stories.

the count can anyone reach 61? the fraud claim who turned out what happens next checking the video

  1. A vote with no majority

    Israel's 27 October election, pinned to one board. Follow the tour, or drag the board and zoom into any card.

  2. 53, 48, 19

    Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats, the Eisenkot-led opposition 48, and Arab-led parties a record 19. A government needs 61.

  3. Three groups, not two

    Netanyahu's bloc is eight seats short. The Jewish-led opposition is thirteen short. The Arab-led parties are not part of either bloc.

  4. Down to the last seat

    Likud is still the largest party, with 27. The final count of double-envelope ballots moved one seat from Shas to Ra'am.

  5. Every route has a red line

    Netanyahu plus Ra'am makes exactly 61, and he has ruled it out. The opposition reaches 67 only with both Arab-led parties.

  6. Who will sit with whom

    Netanyahu, Bennett and Liberman reject a government that relies on Arab parties. The Democrats' Yair Golan is the exception, and Ra'am wants in.

  7. The turnout surge

    National turnout hit 77.9%, the highest in decades. Arab turnout rose 24 points to about 77%, close to its 1996 level.

  8. Where it rose most

    Turnout in unrecognized Bedouin villages roughly doubled, to about 74%. Arab-led lists won about 840,000 votes, and Sakhnin's 87% was the highest of any city.

  9. Income and the vote

    In Jewish localities, Netanyahu's bloc took about 72% in the poorest clusters and about 25% in the richest. The pattern does not hold for Arab towns.

  10. "Stolen"?

    Likud says the election was stolen. Police and the election committee say they found no evidence of that. Of 700 complaints Haaretz reviewed, one gave concrete evidence of bribery.

  11. The clock

    Herzog must name a candidate by 11 November. If every attempt fails, the Knesset dissolves in early February and Israel votes again by early May.

  12. What commentators argue

    These are opinions, not findings. One editor argues the stalemate means Netanyahu has already won. A former intelligence officer warns he may turn to Iran.

  13. Checking the video

    Of the explainer's nine claims, four are confirmed, three partly hold, and two are opinion. The biggest thing it left out is the Haredi draft.

  14. The whole board

    Results are certified on 4 November, and Herzog's consultations begin the same day. Sources and method are pinned at the far right.