Full coverage· Politics· Updated 30 Oct, 12:27

Israel Election Results: Netanyahu Bloc Short of Majority, Arab Parties Gain

The final vote count for Israel's 26th Knesset elections has concluded with neither major political bloc securing the 61-seat majority required to form a government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc has won 53 seats, while the opposition "change bloc" has secured 48 seats. Arab parties collectively hold a record 19 seats, with the Joint List (Hadash-Ta'al) taking 11 and Ra'am securing 8.

10 newsrooms · 4 languages · since 29 Oct, 11:16

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What happened

01No political bloc secured the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 26th Knesset elections, leaving the political system deadlocked.
02Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party emerged as the largest single party, securing 27 seats in the final vote count.
03The Netanyahu bloc holds 53 seats, while the opposition "change bloc" has secured 48 seats.
04Arab parties achieved a record 19 seats, with the Joint List winning 11 mandates and Ra'am securing 8.
05The Shin Bet is investigating allegations of foreign funding and vote-buying in the Arab sector, possibly involving Qatar and Turkey.
06Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party finished second with 21 seats, and Eisenkot has rejected serving in a government under Netanyahu.
07Shas chairman Aryeh Deri is considering resigning after his party's representation dropped to six seats.
08Parties led by Yoaz Hendel, Ofer Winter, and Yaron Zelekha failed to cross the 3.25% electoral threshold.

Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party emerged as the largest single party in the Knesset, securing 27 seats. The "Yashar" (National Unity) party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, is the second-largest with 21 seats, followed by Naftali Bennett's "Together" (Beitenu/Yachad) party with 12 seats. Within Netanyahu's bloc, Otzma Yehudit and United Torah Judaism each won seven seats, while Shas and the Religious Zionism-Identity (Zehut) list each received six seats. On the opposition side, Yair Golan's Democrats won eight seats and Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu took seven.

Several parties failed to cross the 3.25% electoral threshold, including lists led by Yoaz Hendel, Ofer Winter, and Yaron Zelekha. The drop in Shas's representation to six seats has prompted its chairman, Aryeh Deri, to consider his resignation. Meanwhile, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has rejected serving under Netanyahu, complicating potential unity government talks.

The election results were announced amid an ongoing Shin Bet investigation into allegations of foreign entities, possibly including Qatar and Turkey, funneling money into Israel to influence voter turnout and buy votes in the Arab sector. Central Elections Committee Chairman Judge Noam Sohlberg directed the Shin Bet head to investigate these suspicions, though the committee later affirmed the integrity of the vote at polling stations. Final verified results are expected next Wednesday.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 8 newsrooms. Updated 29 Oct, 23:22