Israel election results 2026: who won and what happens next?

Last checked: November 5, 2026, 3:00 AM (Israel time). The facts below are cross-checked across several Israeli media outlets; the only official source for results remains the Central Elections Committee. OlimAid stays strictly neutral: we report who said or did what, without commentary or predictions.

Eleven lists cross the 3.25% threshold and enter the 26th Knesset. Below the line, notably: The Reservists (2.7%) and People of Israel (1.7%). Blue and White, Benny Gantz's party, had withdrawn from the race on October 19 after polls showed it below the threshold.

At a glance: the 120 seats of the 26th Knesset, grouped by broad political family. Hover over or tap a dot to see the list and its seat count.

Three numbers put these results in perspective against 2022: Likud drops from 32 to 27 seats, Shas from 11 to 6, and turnout rises to 77.9%, compared with 70.6% in 2022. The increase is especially marked among Arab voters, which explains the record score of the two Arab lists.

On election night in Israel, people don't just look at who came first: they add up the seats of parties that can govern together. These are the "blocs" (Gush). This time, the math doesn't work out for anyone.

Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc loses its majority: it won 64 seats in 2022 and now has 53, 8 short of a majority. The Zionist opposition led by Gadi Eisenkot has 48: with the two Arab lists it would reach 67 seats, but most of its leaders have ruled out governing in reliance on them.

The result: no "natural" majority emerges. A few pivotal parties, such as Yisrael Beytenu, United Torah Judaism or Ra'am, could become decisive.

During the consultations, each list tells the President which MK it recommends to form the government. The President then gives the mandate to whoever he believes is most likely to assemble a majority.

Beware a common misconception: recommending someone doesn't mean joining their coalition. A list can recommend Gadi Eisenkot to keep Benjamin Netanyahu out, without sitting in his government, and without him agreeing to depend on it. The number of recommendations decides who tries first, not who succeeds.

Nobody knows today which government will emerge from the negotiations. Here are the main options raised by the parties and the press, with the math behind each. They are listed in no order of likelihood.

Throughout this period, the outgoing government stays in place as a transitional government (Memshelet Ma'avar), with Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister. It handles day-to-day affairs and security. For a sense of scale: in 2022, the government was sworn in on December 29, almost two months after the vote.

From the vote to a new government

In the immediate term: nothing. Your rights don't depend on an election result. Sal Klita keeps being paid; the Aliyah Ministry, Bituach Leumi, your Kupat Holim and local authorities operate normally; current tax rules stay the same.

In the medium term, though, the next government will shape very concrete issues for new immigrants: the 2027 budget (and with it funding for absorption, Ulpan and housing), taxation, recognition of degrees, the military service law. If the 2027 budget isn't passed by January 1, the state runs in the meantime on the previous budget, renewed month by month.

If you couldn't vote this time, for example because you arrived after the voter register closed, you will be automatically registered for the next election.

The news in the coming weeks will revolve around these words.

To understand the system itself (threshold, coalitions, the role of the President), reread our pre-election article, or test yourself with the OlimAid quiz on Israeli politics.