Facts
- Israel election results produced no clear winner, according to PBS NewsHour’s October 28, 2026, report from Tel Aviv. With nearly all votes counted, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc had 53 seats, short of the 61 needed for a Knesset majority.
- The opposition Change bloc, led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, had 48 seats. Arab parties, which also oppose Netanyahu, had 19. Likud won the most seats of any single party, PBS reported.
- Exit polls had pointed the other way, showing the opposition ahead, PBS correspondent Nick Schifrin reported.
- Next week, Israel’s president will invite one bloc to try to form a majority government, according to PBS.
- PBS described four paths. Netanyahu could win over a defector from Eisenkot’s coalition, though a Netanyahu official told PBS that is considered impossible. He could form a unity government with Eisenkot, which Eisenkot and his allies have ruled out. Eisenkot’s bloc and the Arab parties together hold more than 61 seats, but Israelis have been resistant to Jewish parties relying on Arab parties, and Arab parties could back Eisenkot from outside the government. If no one succeeds, Israel heads to another election.
- Netanyahu’s campaign accused Arab voters of ‘stealing the election.’ Police responded that there is no investigative substantiation for the claim, PBS reported.
- PBS also reported that a U.S. official confirmed Netanyahu pushed for attacks on Iran before the election, and that U.S. officials have said the U.S. could return to war with Iran after the American midterms. The report did not describe Netanyahu’s response to that claim.
Quotes
Benjamin Netanyahu, through an interpreter, said: “We must not, must not endanger Israel and establish a government that is backed by anti-Zionist Arab parties.”
Gadi Eisenkot, through an interpreter, warned: “Netanyahu, do not dare use Israel’s security for your own political needs.”
Source Read PBS NewsHour’s report here.
Image Knesset front side – 2022 by Clema12, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
