Israeli election results confirmed on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, that no single party or bloc secured the 61-seat majority required to form a government in the 120-member Knesset. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp and the bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot both fell short of the threshold.
This election was the first general vote held since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. The results follow a period of political gridlock, including a 3 1/2-year span starting in 2019 during which Israel held five separate elections. Party leaders now enter negotiations to attempt to build a coalition government.
Arab-led parties won 19 seats, placing them in a position to potentially serve as a "kingmaker" or provide support for a minority government. However, such an alliance faces obstacles; only once, in 2021, has an Arab party joined a governing coalition, and that government lasted 18 months. Netanyahu has characterized a potential alliance between Eisenkot and the Arab-led parties as a security threat, while Eisenkot’s allies have previously vowed not to serve under Netanyahu.
The results affect approximately 7 million eligible voters and the broader population of Israel, including the Arab minority which makes up 20% of the citizenry. Without a clear majority, Knesset members must now negotiate to avoid a repeat of the 2019-2022 cycle, which saw five elections in less than four years. While negotiations continue, a caretaker government remains in power, which may delay permanent policy changes regarding the economy, military service exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox, or the establishment of a formal inquiry into the security failures of Oct. 7, 2023.
The scale of the outcome is defined by the 61-seat requirement for a majority, which neither major bloc reached despite participation from citizens who flew from abroad to cast ballots. If negotiations fail to produce a coalition within the legal timeframe, a new election will be triggered for early 2027. A continuation of current caretaker policies and the possibility of another campaign cycle could involve public spending and potential shifts in political alignment if smaller parties that failed to meet the threshold decide not to run again.
Netanyahu could attempt to poach defectors from the opposition, such as former allies Naftali Bennett or Avigdor Lieberman, though both have expressed opposition to joining his current bloc. The next steps involve the formal tasking of a candidate to form a government, with a deadline for a new election early next year if a 61-seat coalition is not certified.