Netanyahu Bloc Leads as 89% of Knesset Votes Counted
Translated & summarized from NEWSru Israel by baba
With approximately 88.6% of votes counted in Israel's Knesset elections, Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is projected to win 53 seats, while Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc is set to receive 48 seats. Two Arab parties are projected to win 19 seats. The final results are due by November 4, 2026, and the ongoing count of remaining ballots, including those from soldiers and diplomats, could still influence the final distribution of mandates.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is projected to win 53 seats as 88.6% of Knesset election votes are counted.
- Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc is expected to secure 48 seats, while two Arab parties are projected to win 19.
- Two parties, "Miluimnikim ve Kalkalit" and "Amcha Israel," are currently below the electoral threshold.
- A majority in the Knesset requires 61 seats, a number not yet reached by either main bloc.
- Final official results of the election are expected to be published no later than November 4, 2026.
As of Wednesday, October 28, approximately 88.6% of votes in Israel's 26th Knesset elections have been counted, with the Central Elections Committee reporting 5,047,241 votes tallied. Of these, 5,024,919 were valid and 22,322 invalid, with data coming from 11,542 polling stations.
Preliminary calculations indicate that parties aligned with Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc are projected to win 53 seats. The opposition bloc, comprising four parties led by Gadi Eisenkot, is expected to secure 48 seats, while two Arab parties together are projected to gain 19 seats. This distribution remains consistent with earlier counts when approximately 85.6% of votes were processed.
Detailed projections show "Likud" (Benjamin Netanyahu) with 26 mandates, "Yashar" (Gadi Eisenkot) with 21, the "United List" with 12, "Beayachad" (Naftali Bennett) with 12, "Democrats" (Yair Golan) with 8, Yisrael Beiteinu (Avigdor Lieberman) with 7, Ra'am (Mansour Abbas) with 7, "Yahadut HaTorah" (Yaakov Asher) with 7, "Otzma Yehudit" (Itamar Ben-Gvir) with 7, Shas (Aryeh Deri) with 7, and "Zionut HaDatit VeZeut" (Bezalel Smotrich and Moshe Feiglin) with 6 mandates.
Two parties, "Miluimnikim ve Kalkalit" (Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelicha) and "Amcha Israel" (Ofer Winter), are currently below the 3.25% electoral threshold needed to enter the Knesset. "Miluimnikim ve Kalkalit" has received 132,400 votes (2.63%), and "Amcha Israel" has 80,775 votes (1.61%). The number of votes required to pass the threshold will increase as more ballots are counted.
The current projection shows Netanyahu's coalition parties securing 53 seats, the opposition parties 48, and the Arab parties 19. A majority in the Knesset requires 61 seats, a threshold neither of the main blocs has yet reached. The final official results are expected by November 4, 2026.
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