Israeli election: Netanyahu, main rival fall short of majority after all votes counted

Skip next section WATCH: How will Arab party gains impact coalition talks?

October 30, 2026

WATCH: How will Arab party gains impact coalition talks?

Emily Gordine

Arab parties have made a historic breakthrough in Israel's election, achieving their strongest showing in years. Their success could give Arab lawmakers unprecedented influence over coalition negotiations.

But it's unclear whether those gains will translate into real political power. 

Edited by:Karl Sexton

https://p.dw.com/p/5Oqfb

Skip next section Tricky task of forming a working coalition begins

October 30, 2026

Tricky task of forming a working coalition begins

Ahead of the election, two clear coalitions had formed. On the one side, the ruling coalition of right-wing, far-right and religious parties centered around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party.

On the other side was the anti-Netanyahu bloc, made up of a coalition of right-wing, centrist and liberal parties whose unifying principle was to oust Netanyahu from power. 

However, neither of these blocs was able to secure a majority of seats, meaning a simple path to forming a government is off the table.

The task of figuring out a new working coalition is now beginning, with the question of whether the two Arab-Israeli lists, which together secured an unprecedented 19 seats, may form part of a future government or at least provide some form of support.

Yair Golan, chairman of the left-liberal Democrats, said he had met with opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Mansur Abbas, head of the Arab Ra'am party.

He has called for discussions with the Arab-led parties, saying after his meeting with Eisenkot that "the rescue of Israel is at stake," in a post on X.

It remains to be seen if the right-wing factions of Eisenkot's anti-Netanyahu bloc would ultimately entertain the possibility of working with the Arab-led parties.

Another option that has been aired is the possibility of a unity government including both Netanyahu and Eisenkot, but such a move may be similarly distasteful for moderate voters.

Edited by:Sean Sinico

https://p.dw.com/p/5OqR4

Skip next section Final count released

October 29, 2026

Final count released

The final count of ballots from Tuesday's vote has been released by Israel's Central Election Committee.

Netanyahu's bloc with a total of 53 seats

• Likud - 27
• UTJ - 7
• Otzma Yehudit - 7
• Shas - 6
• RZP - 6

Eisenkot's bloc with a total of 48 seats

• Yashar - 21
• B'Yachad - 12
• The Democrats - 8
• Yisrael Beytenu - 7

The Arab Israeli parties with a total of 19 seats

• Joint List - 11
• Ra'am - 8

Edited by:Sean Sinico

https://p.dw.com/p/5OqR2

Skip next section IN DEPTH: Authorities dispute Netanyahu’s fraud claims

October 29, 2026

IN DEPTH: Authorities dispute Netanyahu’s fraud claimsA high-ranking Central Election Committee official, too, denied the allegations.Image: Ronen Zvulun/REUTERS

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud claims large-scale foreign involvement in the elections led by Qatar and Turkey, with Israel’s authorities so far refuting the claims. 

Israeli police said there is no evidence to support Likud's claims, neither "investigative” nor "informative.”

A high-ranking Central Election Committee official, too, denied the allegations. 

Read more in depth coverage of that story, right here. 

Edited by:Roshni Majumdar

https://p.dw.com/p/5Opsn

Skip next section Israel elections: Where things stand on Thursday afternoon

October 29, 2026

Israel elections: Where things stand on Thursday afternoon

With the final tally of votes in Israel's high-stakes parliamentary elections expected on Thursday evening, we take a look at today's events thus far.

• Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party doubled down on allegations that the election has been stolen by Arab parties.
• Netanyahu said that evidence would be handed to police, Shin Bet and the Central Elections Committee.
• Netanyahu also referred to statements about the "involvement of foreign entities that interfered and bribed voters in favor of Arab parties," saying they were "an unprecedented shock."
• Netanyahu's main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, said political actors should not "exploit the information" that had yet to be clarified "in order undermine the official results."
• Qatar meanwhile, has denied any involvement in such allegations: "We categorically deny allegations that Qatar has interfered in Israeli elections or funded any activities intended to influence their outcome," it said, adding it is accused of buying off the Arab vote.
• Qatar’s foreign minister spokesman Majed Al Ansari spoke of "accusations made by certain Israeli politicians" and said they had "launched yet another disinformation campaign aiming to drag Qatar into Israeli political disputes."
• Sami Abu Shehadeh, chair of one of the parties in the Arab-led Joint List, called the claims a new phase of "incitement" against Arab-led groups.
• The head of the Arab-led Ra'am party, Mansour Abbas, welcomed any investigation into election interference. He said his party had nothing to do with it.
• Israel's Central Elections Committee poured cold water on vote fraud allegeations saying "there is no basis."
• "The Knesset elections were conducted lawfully. The integrity of the elections at polling stations was rigorously safeguarded, and to the best of our knowledge, there is no basis for allegations of systematic violations of election integrity," The Times of Israel quoted acting Central Elections Committee director general Dean Livne as having written in a letter.

Edited by:Roshni Majumdar

https://p.dw.com/p/5OpGx

Skip next section Netanyahu, Eisenkot blocs far from majority as count nears its end

October 29, 2026

Netanyahu, Eisenkot blocs far from majority as count nears its end

With 89.8% of ballots counted, the bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to win 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, compared with 48 seats for the anti-Netanyahu alliance led by former military commander Gadi Eisenkot, according to the Central Election Committee (CEC) as reported by the Times of Israel.

That leaves both blocs far short of the 61 seats needed for a majority.

The two majority Arab parties seem set to win 19 seats between them, a record tally that beats their previous high of 15 seats.

Netanyahu has ruled out working with the Arab parties to gain a majority, but there have been signs that some parties in Eisenkot's bloc might be open to the idea, though Eisenkot himself has also previously rejected it.

The absentee ballots — "double-envelope" votes — whose count began on Thursday are not expected to materially affect the final results, despite making up almost 10% of the overall vote.

No clear winner emerges in Israel's election

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Edited by:Wesley Rahn

https://p.dw.com/p/5Onaf

Skip next section Final tally underway, including 'double envelope' absentee ballots

October 29, 2026

Final tally underway, including 'double envelope' absentee ballots

The Central Elections Commission (CEC) has said that counting of so-called double envelope ballots began early Thursday morning, according to the Times of Israel.

Such ballots are cast mostly by soldiers, prisoners and diplomats stationed abroad, as well as others unable to vote at their assigned polling stations.

According to Israeli media, the CEC is reckoning with between 430,000 and 480,000 such ballots, lower than its previous prediction of some 600,000 but still representing just under 10% of votes cast.

This could theoretically still impact seat distribution to a considerable extent. 

The Times of Israel also cited the CEC as saying that not all regular votes have been completely counted.

A full vote count is tentatively expected by Thursday afternoon, although the official finalized results will not be issued until November 4. 

Edited by:Wesley Rahn

https://p.dw.com/p/5OnYu

Skip next section UN rights chief: Next government should 'change course massively'

October 28, 2026

UN rights chief: Next government should 'change course massively' Volker Türk said he hoped a new Israeli government would drastically change its courseImage: Marwan Naamani/dpa/picture alliance

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, told reporters in New York that he hopes a new Israeli government will "change course massively" and respect international law. 

"The message is: don't continue the current course of warfare where you think you are above international law, because I think that's what we have frankly seen in the current environment," Türk said, as relayed by the AFP news agency. 

"Israel has its obligations under international law, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and they need to respect them," he said. "And I hope that the next government will do precisely that and change course massively." 

Türk also said in a statement on Monday that Israel's operation in recent days in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron raised serious concerns about "unnecessary and disproportionate" use of force.

He said that more than 2,000 people had been displaced, with homes and commercial property destroyed and free movement impeded by the lockdown.

"Collective punishment is a grave violation of international law," Türk said. "Threats to empty and erase entire neighborhoods also raise serious concerns of ethnic cleansing."

Edited by:Alex Berry

https://p.dw.com/p/5OnLg

Skip next section 'Arab Israelis have trusted democracy,' Greens' Omid Nouripour tells DW

October 28, 2026

'Arab Israelis have trusted democracy,' Greens' Omid Nouripour tells DW

Omid Nouripour, one of the deputy speakers in Germany's Bundestag parliament, has told DW that the high turnout in Israel was a testament to the strength of the country's democracy. 

"For now, of course, we do not know what the coalition-building will look like, but the people have put their trust in democracy," Nouripour said. "Above all, Arab Israelis have trusted democracy and gone to the polls in droves." 

Speaking to DW's Rosalia Romaniec, as he accompanies German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on his state visit to China, Nouripour also said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's and other right-wing parties' religiously-charged campaign strategy appeared to have backfired. 

"This big campaign from Netanyahu's camp, first and foremost against the Arab Israelis, has on the one hand mobilized people to such an extent that there is no longer a majority for this camp," he said.

Nouripour, a former Green party co-leader, has been a Bundestag member for 20 years. Born in Tehran, his family moved from Iran to Germany when he was a teenager.

Edited by:Alex Berry

https://p.dw.com/p/5OnIO

Skip next section WATCH: Early Israeli election results point to deadlock

October 28, 2026

WATCH: Early Israeli election results point to deadlock

Israel's election has produced no clear winner, leaving both Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot short of a path to power. Israel could now be facing weeks of political uncertainty.

Early Israeli election results point to deadlock

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Edited by:Alex Berry

https://p.dw.com/p/5OnAo

Skip next section IN DEPTH: What would a new Israeli government mean for Arab neighbors?

October 28, 2026

IN DEPTH: What would a new Israeli government mean for Arab neighbors?Arab commentators have celebrated the success of Israel's Arab parties as possible 'kingmakers' in the tight election, including the Joint List (pictured here) — even though most Israeli Jewish parties say they won't govern with themImage: Jamal Awad/dpa/picture alliance

A new Israeli government is unlikely to bring big changes on controversial topics like Palestinian statehood and Israeli troops in Lebanon and Syria, experts say.

Some small positives may be possible though.

Read DW's full report on what might change for Arab countries after Israel's election.

Edited by:Alex Berry

https://p.dw.com/p/5On2g

Skip next section GRAPHIC — Knesset seats by party, and by bloc

October 28, 2026

GRAPHIC — Knesset seats by party, and by bloc

Edited by:Alex Berry

https://p.dw.com/p/5On4V

Skip next section Election commission says almost half a million 'double envelope' ballots still to be counted

October 28, 2026

Election commission says almost half a million 'double envelope' ballots still to be counted

The Central Elections Commission (CEC) estimates that there are still between 430,000 and 480,000 so-called "double envelope" ballots to count, according to Israeli media. 

These are cast primarily by soldiers, prisoners and diplomats stationed abroad, as well as others unable to vote at their designated polling stations. 

This estimate is lower than the CEC's previous prediction of around 600,000 but it remains subject to change. 

Such ballots are still being received and processed, and officials also have to double-check that the individuals sending them in have not also voted at a physical polling station on election day. 

Because of these complications, they tend to be among the last votes to be counted.

A full vote count is tentatively expected by tomorrow afternoon, although the official finalized results will only follow on November 4. 

If the CEC's estimated range is roughly correct, this group of ballots would equate to not very far shy of 10% of the total number of votes cast. As such, they have at least the theoretical potential to impact the seat distribution quite considerably.

Edited by:Alex Berry

https://p.dw.com/p/5On2T

Skip next section President Herzog says it's imperative 'to avoid another round of elections'

October 28, 2026

President Herzog says it's imperative 'to avoid another round of elections'Herzog voted in Jerusalem with his wife early on TuesdayImage: Ronen Zvulun/REUTERS

President Isaac Herzog, who will have a key role in choosing someone to try to put together the next government, has urged all parties to "come with an open mind" when the time for negotiations comes. 

"I will receive  the official election results next week," Herzog said. "I wil then begin the process of the consultations here, hearing from each and every fraction, asking questions, and holding discussions." 

Typically the president chooses the leader of the party with the most votes to try to form a government although he is not required to follow this convention. That nominee then has 42 days to try to set up a working coalition.

"One thing must be clear, and I said this before the elections too," Herzog said. "We must do everything we can, certainly after yesterday, to avoid another round of elections. So I expect everyone who comes here to come with an open mind." 

Between April 2019 and November 2022, Israel had five general elections in rather rapid succession amid similar difficulties either forming or maintaining coalition governments. 

Edited by:Alex Berry

https://p.dw.com/p/5Omf9

Skip next section Situation barely moves as more than 80% of vote counted

October 28, 2026

Situation barely moves as more than 80% of vote counted

Partial results published by the Central Elections Committee and reported by the Times of Israel newspaper showed the bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 54 seats, with 84.5% of votes counted.

The opposition bloc under Gadi Eisenkot of the centrist Yashar party was on 49 seats.

Neither bloc is set to receive the 61 seats need for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, making some form of coalition likely.

The Arab-led parties — the Joint List and the United Arab List, commonly known under its Hebrew name of Ra'am — have dropped to 17 seats.

The numbers are still likely to change, particularly after a record number of absentee votes are counted.

The full tally of those will possibly not be confirmed until Friday, according to the newspaper.

Edited by:Wesley Rahn

https://p.dw.com/p/5OmLs

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