Israel election results 2026 LIVE updates: Votes begin trickling in as Netanyahu, Eisenkot set for lengthy battle to win power in nation’s first election since October 7 attacks

The exit polls pointed to a close, unsettled contest. Eisenkot’s opposition bloc was slightly ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition. The Arab parties also gained ground. This mattered because the result suggested Netanyahu’s allies had lost their previous advantage, but not necessarily the premiership.

Channel 12 projected 52 seats for the opposition bloc, 50 for Netanyahu’s bloc, and 18 for Arab parties. The Knesset has 120 seats, so a government normally needs at least 61. The figures therefore showed no bloc could form a straightforward majority by itself.

The polls were considered broadly reliable, but not foolproof. Eisenkot called the outcome a no-confidence vote, while Likud minister Amichai Chikli urged patience. The result was expected to trigger weeks of negotiations, leaving Netanyahu with a possible path back to power despite the opposition’s narrow lead.

The Knesset is Israel’s parliament, and it has only one chamber. This makes it a unicameral legislature. Its 120 members are elected nationally through proportional representation, so the parliament is designed to reflect the strength of competing parties across the country.

Voters do not select individual candidates. Instead, they choose a party list. Each party submits an ordered list of candidates before election day. When a party wins seats, candidates take those seats in the order set by the party. There are no local electorates.

This structure makes party support more important than individual districts. In 2022, Likud won 23 per cent of the vote and received 32 seats. Yesh Atid won 18 per cent and received 24 seats. After this election, parties must negotiate because no single bloc immediately secured 61 seats.

A government normally needs 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset. That is one seat more than half. The threshold matters because election results may produce several sizable blocs without giving any one bloc enough support to govern alone.

Turnout was also unusually high. Israel’s Central Elections Committee reported that 77.7 per cent of eligible voters had voted by the close of polling. The figure was more than seven percentage points higher than at the same stage of the 2022 election.

The high participation showed strong public engagement in the wartime election. Yet turnout did not settle the political question. Exit polls projected 52 seats for Eisenkot’s opposition bloc, 50 for Netanyahu’s bloc, and 18 for Arab parties. Since none reached 61, coalition bargaining and possible minority-government discussions were expected to follow.

Israel’s proportional-representation system aims to match each party’s Knesset strength with its national vote share. Voters choose party lists, not individual candidates. This allows parties with support spread across the country to win representation without capturing particular local electorates.

The mechanism is straightforward in principle. A party receives seats broadly according to its percentage of the vote, and those seats are filled by candidates from its ordered list. In 2022, Likud won 23 per cent and received 32 seats. Yesh Atid won 18 per cent and received 24 seats. The allocation is also affected by the entry threshold.

The result can create a fragmented parliament. In this election, exit polls gave 52 seats to Eisenkot’s bloc and 50 to Netanyahu’s bloc, with 18 for Arab parties. Because no bloc had 61 seats, the proportional system made coalition negotiations central to forming the next government.

Israel’s electoral threshold is 3.25 per cent. A party that falls below it is not awarded Knesset seats. Its votes therefore do not help that party enter parliament or contribute directly to a governing bloc. This rule is intended to limit excessive fragmentation.

The article gives a clear example from 2022. Two left-wing parties narrowly missed the threshold, wasting nearly 290,000 votes that opposed Netanyahu. Because those votes produced no seats, Netanyahu’s side benefited from the resulting distribution of parliamentary representation. Smaller parties may therefore run together to avoid crossing the threshold separately.

The consequence can decide who forms a government even when many voters support excluded parties. In the current election, no bloc had an immediate majority in the exit polls. If additional parties cross or miss the threshold after counting, the final seat balance could change and alter coalition possibilities.

The article does not explain President Isaac Herzog’s role after the election, so this answer uses established background knowledge. Israel’s largely ceremonial president consults elected parties and gives a lawmaker the mandate to try forming a government. The choice usually reflects who appears most likely to win parliamentary support, not simply who leads the largest party.

The designated leader negotiates with other parties. They seek enough seats and political agreements to command at least 61 members of the 120-seat Knesset. Partners may receive policy commitments or positions in return for joining a coalition. A leader can also attempt to govern with minority support, though the article calls that arrangement more fragile.

Here, the exit polls showed no clear winner. Eisenkot’s bloc had 52 seats, Netanyahu’s 50, and Arab parties 18. The expected result was weeks of jockeying before a leader could be declared, leaving Israel in political limbo.

Proportional representation gives parties seats according to their national support. That usually produces a parliament with several parties rather than one dominant party. The system can represent more political viewpoints, but it also makes governing depend on agreements between parties with different priorities.

The article illustrates the mechanism through the exit polls. Eisenkot’s opposition bloc had 52 seats, Netanyahu’s bloc had 50, and Arab parties had 18. None reached the 61 seats needed for a majority. Leaders therefore must persuade other parties to join, support, or tolerate a government. Parties below the 3.25 per cent threshold can further change the balance by wasting votes.

If negotiations succeed, a coalition governs. If parties cannot agree on policies, leadership, or distribution of power, the country may face a minority government or prolonged deadlock. In the most difficult cases, no government can be formed and another election may be required. The article expected weeks of jockeying and political limbo.