Israelis Await Final Vote Counts

JERUSALEM, Oct. 29, 2026. The wait continues in Israel as officials count the final ballots from a fragmented electorate.

Local media projections indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc holds 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Opposition parties hold 48 seats, while Arab-led parties hold 19. This distribution leaves no single faction with the 61-seat majority required to form a government.

Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, the chief rival to Netanyahu, issued a statement Wednesday calling for a government that serves all citizens. He did not explicitly name the Arab-led parties, though he has previously expressed openness to working with them to reach the necessary majority. The Joint List, one of those Arab parties, cited an “unprecedented show of strength” in its results and said it was open to political cooperation. This potential alliance is historic, as no Arab party had joined a coalition government since a brief stint in 2021.

Netanyahu remains in charge while the counting concludes. His Likud party, which received the most votes, accused the Arab-led parties of stealing the election. The party asked the election committee to investigate but provided no specific evidence. The committee stated that reported irregularities were low in a relatively calm election. Final results could arrive as early as Thursday evening after about half a million absentee ballots are counted. These ballots come from military personnel, diplomats, and others, and are not expected to change the overall outcome dramatically.

President Isaac Herzog will task a candidate with forming the next government next week. Tradition favors the leader of the party with the most votes, but it is not a requirement. Herzog signaled on Wednesday that he wants to avoid new elections early next year, a goal shared by Eisenkot. A repeat election would raise questions about voter turnout, particularly among Arab citizens and the tens of thousands of Israelis who flew home to vote. Many of those overseas voters said they traveled to save the country from Netanyahu.

The country entered this election with deep divisions along religious, secular, and ethnic lines. A central issue is whether the fast-growing ultra-Orthodox population should remain exempt from compulsory military service. Many families have lost sons and daughters in three years of inconclusive wars. Netanyahu, the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history, faces corruption allegations and accusations that he delayed deals for hostage releases in Gaza for political gain.

International criticism over the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank adds to the pressure. For Arab citizens, who make up 20% of the population, there is cautious hope. Brosli Elias, a resident of Nazareth, said, “God willing, we will have something for us in the government, something that will bring us our rights.”

The threat of further strikes against Iran adds uncertainty to the process. The Trump administration has spoken of new attacks after the midterm elections on Nov. 3. Experts suggest Netanyahu could use a renewed war to press for a unity government under his leadership. That move could delay a public inquiry into the security failures that led to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault.