In brief
The 2026 Israeli election produced a hung Knesset, with the pro‑Netanyahu bloc winning 53 seats and the opposition bloc 48, while 19 seats went to Arab parties. President Isaac Herzog will have to select a Knesset member by November 11 to form a coalition within 28 days, possibly extending for another 14. Potential leaders include Benjamin Netanyahu and former army chief Gadi Eiskot, as parties scramble to find a majority.
Israel’s 2026 general election left all major parties short of the 61 seats needed for a majority, meaning the new 120‑member Knesset will need coalition talks before a government can be sworn in.
The pro‑Netanyahu coalition secured 53 seats, comprising Likud (27), United Torah Judaism (7), Otzma Yehudit (7), Shas (6) and Religious Zionism (6). The bloc of Jewish parties that opposed Netanyahu earned 48 seats, with Yashar (21), B’Yachad (12), The Democrats (8) and Yisrael Beytenu (7). Arab‑led parties captured 19 seats between the Joint List (11) and Ra’am (8). With no bloc at 61 seats, parties must seek cross‑bloc agreements to form a majority.
After the vote, the election results must be officially certified by President Isaac Herzog by November 4. The new Knesset is set to be sworn in on November 10, after which Herzog will task one incoming member with forming a government no later than November 11.
Herzog’s appointed candidate will have 28 days to build a coalition, with an extension of up to 14 days if needed. The likely candidates are former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or former Israeli military chief Gadi Eiskot, whose Yashar party received the most votes in the opposition bloc. According to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth, Eiskot may have an edge, with some Arab‑led parties considering backing him to oust Netanyahu.
Seeking Unity or New Alliances?
Herzog has urged politicians to move beyond rigid partisan lines, calling for “creative solutions” to avoid another election cycle. He said he would press for a national unity government that could bring Netanyahu and Eiskot together, should a coalition become impossible.
