As of 9:35 AM IST, Friday 30 October 2026. Results are final but, as in every Israeli election, remain subject to minor corrections before they go to the President on 4 November.
Israel's Central Elections Committee has published the final results of Tuesday's vote for the 26th Knesset, and they confirm what the late count pointed to: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc has 53 of 120 seats, eight short of a majority. The opposition parties led by Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar! hold 48, and two Arab-led parties hold the remaining 19. Nobody has an obvious route to 61.
The final seat count
| Party | Seats | Bloc |
|---|---|---|
| Likud (Netanyahu) | 27 | Netanyahu bloc |
| Yashar! (Eisenkot) | 21 | Opposition |
| Together / B'Yachad (Bennett) | 12 | Opposition |
| Joint List | 11 | Arab-led parties |
| The Democrats (Golan) | 8 | Opposition |
| Ra'am (Abbas) | 8 | Arab-led parties |
| Yisrael Beytenu | 7 | Opposition |
| Otzma Yehudit | 7 | Netanyahu bloc |
| United Torah Judaism | 7 | Netanyahu bloc |
| Shas | 6 | Netanyahu bloc |
| Religious Zionism | 6 | Netanyahu bloc |
That adds up to 53 for Netanyahu's camp, 48 for the Jewish-majority opposition parties and 19 for the Joint List and Ra'am combined, according to the committee's figures as reported by Ynet and The Jerusalem Post.
Turnout and the threshold
- Turnout: 77.9% in the final count, with 5,716,665 votes cast. Of those, 5,690,778 were valid and 25,887 were invalid. (The committee's figure at poll close on Tuesday night was 77.7%.)
- Electoral threshold: 3.25% of valid votes, or 184,947 votes.
- Who missed it: The Times of Israel reported that The Reservists (about 2.7%), People of Israel (about 1.7%) and the Charedi Public list (about 0.2%) fell short and win no seats.
The Shin Bet probe
The final count was overshadowed by a Shin Bet investigation into suspected election bribery and foreign interference, opened at the direction of committee chairman Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg. Reports in Israeli media said the intelligence concerned suspected money transfers from Qatar; Ynet reported that Doha has categorically denied this and that Turkey has also rejected any involvement.
In a recorded statement overnight, acting committee director general Dean Livne said the investigation "will not affect the final results submitted to the president. Nor does it concern any particular community," and called reports circulating on Thursday "entirely unfounded." The main points were briefed to Netanyahu, opposition leader Yair Lapid and Eisenkot. The Shin Bet itself said the inquiry was "focused and limited" and did not cast suspicion on any entire community. The Jerusalem Post, citing Israel's N12, reported that senior officials think the bribery case is unlikely to lead to an indictment; that has not been officially confirmed.
What happens next
- Wednesday 4 November: the committee says the results, "subject to minor corrections," go to President Isaac Herzog.
- Consultations: Herzog then consults every party elected and tasks one lawmaker with forming a government. That candidate gets 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension.
- 10 November: the new Knesset is due to be sworn in, according to The Times of Israel.
- Deadlock risk: if no one can form a government, the process could ultimately lead to yet another election.
The coalition arithmetic
Netanyahu's partners cannot reach 61 on their own. Eisenkot's side could reach a majority only with support from at least one Arab-led party. The Democrats' leader Yair Golan met Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas on Thursday to discuss a possible partnership and options for a new government, The Jerusalem Post reported. Protesters also gathered outside Eisenkot's Herzliya home urging cooperation with Arab parties. No coalition deal has been announced.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only. Results are as published by Israel's Central Elections Committee and reported by the outlets below, and may still be subject to minor corrections.
Related reading on HorizonDesk
- Israel Election: Netanyahu Bloc Loses Majority at 53 Seats as Absentee Count Begins
- Israel election results: the partial count
- Israel election, 27 October: what the polls said beforehand
Sources
- Ynet: Israel election results unaffected by foreign interference probe, committee says
- The Times of Israel: Central Elections Committee publishes final election results; Knesset to be sworn in Nov. 10
- Israel National News: final election results report
- The Jerusalem Post: Israel Election 2026 live updates, 30 October
- Central Elections Committee: national results
