Key takeaways
- Israel's October 27, 2026 election produced no governing majority: Netanyahu's bloc won 53 of 120 seats, Gadi Eisenkot's bloc won 48, and Arab-led parties won a record 19.
- Both blocs are short of the 61 seats needed, and each side's leaders have publicly ruled out the partnerships that would close the gap.
- Israeli media report that the opposition is considering a return to direct elections for prime minister, which would require a Knesset law backed by at least 61 members.
- President Isaac Herzog is due to receive the certified results on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, and will then consult party leaders on who should try to form a government.
The Israel elections Netanyahu contest ended in a political deadlock: final results from the October 27, 2026 vote give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc 53 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, short of the 61 needed to govern. The opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot won 48, and Arab-led parties won 19, according to NBC News and the Times of Israel. On October 30, 2026, Channel 12 reported that the opposition is considering legislation for direct elections for prime minister, according to the Times of Israel.
What did the Israel election results show?
Netanyahu’s Likud won 27 seats, making it the largest single party, while Eisenkot’s Yashar party won 21, according to the Times of Israel as relayed by the Northeast Times and the Arab News. NBC News reported that Netanyahu’s bloc fell well below the 68 seats it held at its peak in the previous parliament.
The Arab-led parties, the Joint List with 11 seats and Ra’am with eight, won more seats than Arab parties have ever won, according to The Conversation. Both oppose Netanyahu, but some members of Eisenkot’s bloc have rejected them as coalition partners.
Eisenkot’s bloc consists of four Jewish-led parties: Yashar, B’Yachad (led by former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid), Yisrael Beytenu (led by Avigdor Liberman) and the Democrats (led by Yair Golan), according to the Times of Israel. Reuters reported, via CNN, that the Israeli shekel weakened as the deadlock became clear.
Why can neither bloc form a government?
Each side’s public commitments block its own arithmetic. CNN reported that Eisenkot, Bennett, Liberman and Golan have all declared they will not sit with Netanyahu. The Jerusalem Post reported that Eisenkot has also rejected serving under Netanyahu in a rotation arrangement.
On the opposition side, CNN reported that Bennett and Liberman oppose any government that depends on the Joint List or Ra’am, whether as coalition members or as outside supporters of a minority government. Golan took the opposite view. According to the Jerusalem Post, he said Netanyahu lost the election and urged his partners to count the Arab parties among the 67 members outside Netanyahu’s bloc.
The Jerusalem Post set out the numbers. With Ra’am alone, the opposition bloc would reach 56 seats. With both Arab parties, it would reach 67. The same report noted that Ra’am’s support combined with a Joint List abstention could allow a minority government to win a confidence vote 56 to 53. It described these as mathematical combinations, not coalition agreements.
What is the direct prime ministerial election proposal?
The Times of Israel, citing Channel 12, reported on the night of Friday, October 30, 2026, that the opposition “change bloc” is considering legislation to introduce direct elections for prime minister. The report said the bloc is looking to form a minority government without relying on the support of Arab parties. The Jerusalem Post, citing Maariv commentator Ben Caspit and journalist Michael Hauser Tov, said the idea is being discussed without dissolving the Knesset.
Israel held direct elections for prime minister from 1996 to 2001, according to the Times of Israel. Restoring the system would require amending the law, and the Times of Israel said that needs at least 61 Knesset members. The opposition would theoretically reach that figure only with Arab-party support. The Jerusalem Post added that the change could not be made under existing law.
The Times of Israel also noted that it is unclear who would be the opposition’s candidate, because the main parties did not agree on a single leader before the vote. The Jerusalem Post reported that the bloc has labeled the idea the “Netanyahu 2021 direct election model,” after an initiative Netanyahu tried to advance following the 2021 election. These are media reports based on bloc figures, and no formal proposal has been tabled.
How could the Israel elections Netanyahu deadlock end?
CNN identified four broad scenarios: an opposition government, a government built around Netanyahu through defections, a unity arrangement, or another election. The Arab parties are expected to back Eisenkot, so he could be asked to try first, according to CNN.
The Arab parties’ positions differ. An analyst quoted by Al Jazeera said Ra’am has signaled it is open to joining an Eisenkot-led government. The Joint List has left open the possibility of supporting a minority government from outside, if that delivers meaningful commitments on equality, violent crime in Palestinian communities, home demolitions and a political pathway for the wider Palestinian question.
President Isaac Herzog has urged restraint. The Jerusalem Post reported that he said Israel must do everything possible to avoid another round of elections and urged politicians to keep an open mind in coalition talks.
NPR analysis suggested Netanyahu may see a repeat election as favorable. It said Arab turnout could fall if Arab voters conclude the Jewish opposition parties will not let their representatives join a government, and that liberal Israelis who traveled from abroad to vote may be less likely to return. NPR presented this as a possibility, not a confirmed strategy.
What to watch
- November 4, 2026: the certified results are due to go to President Herzog, who will then consult party leaders, according to NBC News.
- Recommendations to Herzog: whether the Arab parties formally recommend Eisenkot, and how many Knesset members back each candidate.
- Ra’am and the Joint List: whether either party sets out concrete terms for supporting or joining a government.
- Bennett and Liberman: any change in their refusal to rely on Arab-party votes.
- Direct-election bill: whether the opposition tables legislation, and whether it can reach 61 votes.
- Likud defections: any move by individual opposition lawmakers toward Netanyahu’s camp.
Frequently asked questions
What were the final results of the Israel election in October 2026?
Netanyahu's right-wing bloc won 53 of the Knesset's 120 seats, Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc won 48, and Arab-led parties won a record 19. Likud was the largest party with 27 seats. A majority requires 61 seats, so neither bloc can govern alone.
What is a direct election for prime minister in Israel?
It is a system in which voters choose the prime minister in a separate ballot rather than parliament selecting one. Israel used it from 1996 to 2001, according to the Times of Israel. Bringing it back would require amending the law with at least 61 Knesset votes.
What happens next after the Israel election deadlock?
Election officials are due to present certified results to President Isaac Herzog on November 4, 2026. Herzog will consult party leaders and choose the candidate best placed to form a government. If no one can assemble 61 seats, Israel could face another election.
Sources
- Opposition bloc said weighing direct PM elections to break political deadlock
- Israel election deadlock: Direct PM vote back on the table
- Israel's final election results show neither Netanyahu nor rival can immediately form a government
- Israel's election ended in deadlock. Here are four ways out
- What are the next steps after Israel election ends in deadlock?
- How can Israel break its election deadlock?
- Netanyahu survives the election, but Eisenkot holds key to replacing him
- Israel's Arab parties emerge as kingmakers, but coalition doors remain closed
- Deadlock ahead for Israel as election fails to deliver an alternative to Netanyahu coalition
- To build new coalition amid deadlock, Eisenkot, Netanyahu and others may need to break key pledges
Top image: Clema12 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
This article was produced by the Intelligence Report Desk. Sources are linked below.
