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No Majority as Eisenkot Bloc Wins 52 Seats

By Drooid · Oct 28, 2026, 10:48 UTC · How we work

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Summary

Israel held a general election on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, with turnout exceeding 80%.
Exit polls showed no bloc secured a majority, leaving Arab parties’ 17-18 seats as kingmakers.
Likud was projected to win 50 seats, remaining the Knesset’s largest party.
Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar bloc will win 52 seats, ahead of Netanyahu’s bloc.
President Isaac Herzog will task the leader with forming a government, or call elections if no 61-seat coalition forms.

History

Israel’s fragmented politics resurfaced in the 27 October 2026 election, when no bloc reached the 61-seat majority in the 120-member Knesset, leaving the 17-18 Arab seats decisive for Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar bloc or Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud coalition. The deadlock mirrors the 23 March 2021 vote, the first to enlist United Arab List (Ra’am) in a governing coalition, underscoring a persistent reliance on Arab parties to form governments.

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Historical Context

Israel’s fragmented politics resurfaced in the 27 October 2026 election, when no bloc reached the 61-seat majority in the 120-member Knesset, leaving the 17-18 Arab seats decisive for Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar bloc or Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud coalition. The deadlock mirrors the 23 March 2021 vote, the first to enlist United Arab List (Ra’am) in a governing coalition, underscoring a persistent reliance on Arab parties to form governments.

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