Israeli Elections 2026: Nearly all sides could face disappointment! With nearly 90 per cent of the votes counted by Wednesday evening, neither Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot appears to have enough seats to form a government on his own.
is expected to fall short of a majority in the 120-member Knesset, while Eisenkot also faces a struggle to gather enough support to replace him.
The final results of Israeli elections are expected by Thursday evening, but it could take weeks of talks before Israel knows who will lead its next government.
Early results suggest , down from the 64 it secured in the 2022 election. Eisenkot’s bloc is expected to win about 49 seats, while two Arab parties could together secure as many as 19. Some estimates put Netanyahu’s coalition at 53 seats.
The figures could change as the remaining votes are counted.
Netanyahu’s Likud party remains the largest single party, with an estimated 26 seats. But that has not been enough to keep his wider coalition on track for a majority.
Arab citizens of Israel turned out to vote in record numbers, something the pre-election polls failed to predict. The polls also underestimated how many votes Likud would win from supporters who might otherwise have backed Netanyahu’s right-wing and ultra-Orthodox allies.
The Joint List, an alliance of Arab parties, could now play an important role in deciding who forms the next government. It said it would “do everything in its power” to remove Netanyahu from office.
The statement leaves open the possibility that the alliance could support an effort by Eisenkot to replace Netanyahu. However, most Jewish parties have been reluctant to work with Arab parties, and their lawmakers have not been invited to join an opposition-led government.
Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces, went into the election with two clear goals. He wanted the Jewish opposition parties to win enough seats to form a government, or come close to doing so. He also wanted his party, Yashar, to win more votes than any other party.
The early results suggest he has fallen short on both counts.
Eisenkot’s next move will not be easy.
Eisenkot has said Netanyahu is unfit to lead Israel, but he has also opposed working with Arab parties. On Wednesday, he said he wanted a government that was both Zionist and committed to universal military conscription.
That position leaves him with fewer options. Working with Arab parties would go against his stated position, while bringing ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties into the government would also be difficult given his stance on military service.
One possibility being discussed by Netanyahu’s allies is a broad government involving Netanyahu, Eisenkot and other centrist leaders. Such an arrangement could allow Netanyahu to remain prime minister despite his coalition’s losses.
Netanyahu has survived political setbacks throughout his career of more than three decades, and the latest results do not yet spell the end of his time in office. Although his opponents have an opportunity to replace him, they must first find a way to work together and secure enough support in Parliament.
Once the final results are announced, will decide which political leader gets the first chance to form a government.
The chosen leader will then have to negotiate with other Israeli parties to secure enough support in the Knesset. Those talks could take weeks, and there is no guarantee they will succeed.
The Knesset is due to open on November 10. Even if a new government has not been formed by then, Netanyahu’s opponents could gain greater influence over parliamentary proceedings.
If the parties fail to reach an agreement, Israel could face another election.
