Netanyahu's bloc finishes first in Israeli election but short of a majority

Summary

Official results show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition of right-wing and far-right parties won 53 of the Knesset's 120 seats, giving the bloc the lead but leaving it short of a majority. That is well below the 68 seats it held at its peak in the previous parliament. Neither Netanyahu nor his main rival can immediately form a government. Parties led by Israel's Arab minority made historic gains, winning a combined 19 seats in a race in which Palestinians with Israeli citizenship went to the polls in record numbers.

Timeline

1. The Straits Times

   30 Oct 2026, 01:12 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Netanyahu's coalition of right-wing and far-right parties won 53 of the Knesset's 120 seats in official results, finishing in the lead but short of a majority.

2. NBC News

   30 Oct 2026, 01:42 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Netanyahu's right-wing bloc won 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, well below the 68 seats it had controlled at its peak in the previous parliament, and that neither Netanyahu nor his rival can immediately form a government.