What happened
According to Dawn, final general election results in Israel show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition placing ahead of the opposition, but remaining well short of a parliamentary majority. With no single bloc achieving the required seats to govern, the outcome sets the stage for weeks of difficult coalition negotiations or potentially another election.
Key facts
- Netanyahu's right-wing and far-right coalition won 53 out of 120 seats in the Knesset, with Likud remaining the largest single party at 27 seats.
- The centrist-led opposition, headed by Gadi Eisenkot, secured 48 seats.
- Arab party groupings Raam and the Joint List won a combined 19 seats, positioning them as key players in coalition talks.
- Netanyahu and Likud accused Raam of receiving money from Qatar to buy votes, though government officials have provided no evidence to back the allegations.
- Raam leader Mansour Abbas denied any wrongdoing, Joint List accused Likud of an incitement campaign, and Qatar dismissed the accusations as ridiculous and dangerous.
- Israel’s Shin Bet security service opened an investigation into suspected irregularities while stating it was not casting blame on the electorate, while the electoral commission noted that claims of widespread problems are groundless.
- Police arrested three suspects in an incident that the electoral commission classified as an isolated local case.
Why it matters
According to Dawn, the fragmented outcome leaves Israel's political leadership uncertain, as reaching a 61-seat majority is required to establish a government. Opposition figures, including Eisenkot and left-wing candidate Yair Golan, accused Netanyahu of running an organized effort to delegitimize the election results after failing to secure a majority. Additionally, Joint List head Yousef Jabareen expressed a willingness to collaborate with opposition parties to remove Netanyahu from power, though specified he would not join a governing coalition.
Source: Dawn - Home · Published October 30, 2026 · Photo by Nejc Soklič on Unsplash
