In brief
The partial vote count shows Netanyahu’s right‑wing bloc holding 53 of 120 seats, short of the 61 needed for control, and opposition bloc 48 seats. Arab parties collectively reach a record 19 seats, a historic turnout of 77.7% fuels debate over coalition formation and left markets nervous.
The 2026 Israeli parliamentary election concluded without any party or coalition achieving an outright majority, as Israel’s 120‑seat Knesset now holds three competing blocs: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right‑wing coalition with 53 seats, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc with 48 seats, and an Arab‑dominated bloc projected to secure a record 19 seats.
United Press International reported that the Likud faction within the ruling coalition would win 26 seats, the most for a single party, while the Arab‑led Joint List and Ra’am parties were slated for 12 and 7 seats respectively. These figures eclipsed the previous 2020 record of 15 Arab seats.
Voter turnout reached 77.7% of eligible voters, the highest rate since 1999, according to the Central Elections Committee. The high participation came amid widespread speculation over whether either of the major blocs would negotiate with Arab parties to form a functional government. The count of double‑envelope ballots, decisive for confirming the exact distribution of seats, is slated to finish by Thursday.
The lack of a clear majority has opened a procedural window where President Isaac Herzog will consult party leaders to determine a prime ministerial nominee who can assemble a coalition within 28 days, with a potential 14‑day extension. Failure to form a government may trigger a dissolution of the Knesset and return the nation to the polls, while the current cabinet remains a caretaker.
Stock markets in Tel Aviv were hit hard by the emerging ambiguity. The TA‑35 index fell 1.81 percent, the TA‑125 down 2.46 percent, the TA‑90 dropped 4.47 percent, and the TA‑Banks‑5 index slumped 4.85 percent on Wednesday, according to Xinhua. Gad Lior of Yedioth Ahronoth said the sell‑off was driven by political uncertainty and fears that a Netanyahu‑led government might struggle to meet economic challenges.
Joseph Freiman, CEO of financial group Prico, told Xinhua that the shekel’s earlier gains reversed as Netanyahu’s bloc gradually overtook the opposition in final counts. He noted that the market’s reversal reflected a shift from expectations of an Eisenkot‑led government to a Netanyahu‑led one, both of which remain short of the 61 seats needed for majority control.
Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli ambassador, warned that a coalition without Arab parties could prove difficult if they are perceived as necessary allies. “There’s a price to pay,” he said, highlighting that parties like Eisenkot’s, which pledged not to cooperate with Arab parties, would face pressure once the Arab bloc held the balance of power.
Mansour Abbas, leader of Ra’am, stated to Israel’s Channel 12 that he hoped final results would allow the anti‑Netanyahu bloc to reach the 61-seat threshold. “With the numbers we have now, there is no government,” Abbas said before preliminary votes began to enter the counting process.
Al Jazeera echoed the sentiment that the Arab bloc’s 17‑seat projection—later updated to 19—could become the pivot for a functioning cabinet. The article noted that Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up about one‑fifth of the population, turned out at record levels, with estimates near 80 percent participation.
Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot posted on social media, “If these are the final results, this is a victory for the statist‑Zionist majority in Israel,” challenging the narrative that the election represents a loss for his coalition. Netanyahu, conversely, presented his bloc’s performance as a decisive mandate among the Jewish and Zionist public, claiming that Likud was the largest party in Israel and underscoring the need for a strong right‑wing national government.
Consensus points to a prolonged government‑formation period, potentially stretching months as each bloc seeks allies beyond its core membership. The Arab parties could leverage their 19 seats to influence policy on Netanyahu’s bloc, while the Eisenkot coalition may need to reach across the aisle to secure an effective majority. The outcome will shape not only legislative priorities but also Israel’s stance on regional security, economic policy, and the status of Palestinian citizens.
