Netanyahu Bloc Leads in Israeli Election With 60% of Votes Counted

As of Wednesday morning, October 28, vote counting continues for the 26th Knesset elections. The Central Elections Committee of Israel reported that 60% of the approximately 3.4 million votes cast have been processed. Preliminary calculations indicate that parties aligned with Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc are projected to win 56 seats. The opposition bloc, comprising four parties led by Gadi Eisenkot, is expected to secure 48 seats, while Arab parties are projected to gain 16 seats. These results are interim and subject to significant change as more votes are tallied.

Within the Netanyahu bloc, the Likud party is currently leading with 28 seats. The opposition bloc's Yachad party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, is projected to win 21 seats. The Joint List of Arab parties is expected to receive 12 seats, and Naftali Bennett's Yachad party is projected at 11 seats. Other parties' preliminary seat allocations include Democrats with 8, United Torah Judaism with 8, Yisrael Beiteinu with 8, Shas with 7, Otzma Yehudit with 7, Religious Zionism and Zehut with 6, and Ra'am with 4. Several other lists, including those led by Yoaz Hendel and Ofer Winter, have not yet crossed the 3.25% electoral threshold.

The coalition parties supporting Netanyahu, namely Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism, Otzma Yehudit, and Religious Zionism, collectively hold 56 projected seats. The opposition parties, Yachad (Eisenkot), Yachad (Bennett), Yisrael Beiteinu, and Democrats, together have 48 seats. The two Arab parties, the Joint List and Ra'am, have a combined 16 seats. A majority in the Knesset requires 61 seats to form a government.

Vote counts have fluctuated throughout the process. Initially, with 28% of votes processed, Netanyahu's bloc had 59 seats, the opposition 46, and Arab parties 15. At 37.4% processed, the numbers shifted to 57, 47, and 16 respectively. When 48.43% of votes were counted, Netanyahu's bloc dropped to 55 seats. At 51.5% processed, the distribution was 55, 49, and 16. The current count of 60% shows 56, 48, and 16 seats.

Turnout for the October 27 elections was 77.7%, with 5,695,682 voters participating, marking the highest turnout since 1999. The counting process is ongoing, with remaining ballots from various polling stations and "double envelope" votes, including those from soldiers, diplomats, prisoners, and hospital patients, yet to be tallied. Elad Nave, a representative of the Central Elections Committee, estimates over half a million such ballots. Their counting is expected to begin around midnight and conclude by the evening of October 29. These votes could potentially alter the seat distribution and affect parties' standing relative to the electoral threshold. Official final results are due by November 4, 2026.