Israel’s 2026 election has ended without a clear winner. The pre-election and exit polls pointed to a narrow win for Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc, but the actual count went the other way. With more than three-quarters of ballots counted, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc leads with 54 seats and Eisenkot’s bloc has 47.
Netanyahu’s Likud is still the largest party, but his bloc has lost about ten seats since 2022 and is now seven short of a majority. The opposition, despite public anger over October 7, has barely grown compared to the last Knesset.
The Arab parties made the biggest gains, winning a record 19 seats on the back of historic turnout. That has set off a debate over vote-buying allegations and over government policy toward the Arab sector. It also makes forming a coalition harder for both sides.
Ryan Jones explains where things stand in this episode.
