Israeli election: what Netanyahu’s result means

Published 2 November 2026 at 5:15 am · 10 sources · 100+ searches today

Israel’s national election on 27 October 2026 was inconclusive, leaving Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponents in a tight race to form the next government. People are searching because the result may decide whether Netanyahu stays prime minister, who leads the next coalition, and how Israel approaches Gaza and relations with Australia.

Key facts

27 October 2026: Israel held a national election
Netanyahu’s bloc was projected on 53 seats, versus 67 for anti-Netanyahu parties
Likud was still the largest party, at about 24–27 seats
A governing coalition needs 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset
Arab parties were projected to hold 17–18 seats and could be decisive

What happened in the election

Israel voted on 27 October 2026 in a national election featuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and an opposition alliance led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. Early exit polls gave Eisenkot’s bloc an edge, but later projections showed Netanyahu’s bloc narrowly ahead or the race tied.

The result was still inconclusive as of 2 November 2026. Projections reported by the Australian Financial Review put Netanyahu’s bloc at 53 seats, while parties opposing him were on 67 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.

Why the result is so close

Neither side appears able to reach the 61 seats needed to govern alone, which means coalition talks are likely to decide the outcome. That is why Netanyahu may still remain prime minister even after his bloc appears to have lost in popular terms.

Arab parties are central to the arithmetic. They were projected to win as many as 17–18 seats, which could make them pivotal in coalition negotiations, although cooperation with them is politically controversial among Jewish Israeli parties.

What shaped the vote

The election was heavily influenced by the aftermath of Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack and the war in Gaza. Netanyahu’s opponents blamed him for security failures, the long war, hostage policy and Israel’s deteriorating international standing.

Domestic issues also mattered, including judicial reform and ultra-Orthodox military exemptions. Opposition figures including Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan and Yair Lapid said the public had rejected Netanyahu, even though the seat totals still leave them dependent on difficult alliances.

What to watch next

Likud remained the largest individual party, with exit polls putting it at about 24–27 seats, down from 32 seats after the 2022 election. That keeps Netanyahu in line to get the first opportunity to try to form a government.

The next stage is coalition negotiation, and that is where the real result will be settled. For Australians following the story, the final outcome could affect Israel’s Gaza-war policy and the tone of Israel–Australia ties, but the diplomatic impact remains uncertain while talks continue.

Frequently asked

Did Netanyahu win the Israeli election on 27 October 2026?

Not clearly. Projections showed his bloc short of a majority, with the overall result still inconclusive as of 2 November 2026.

How many seats did Netanyahu’s bloc win?

Projections cited by the Australian Financial Review gave Netanyahu’s bloc 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.

Who was the largest party in the Israeli election?

Likud remained the largest individual party, with exit polls putting it at about 24–27 seats.

Can Netanyahu still stay prime minister?

Yes, possibly. Neither side appears able to reach the 61-seat majority needed to govern alone, so coalition talks could keep him in office.

Sources

Researched automatically from live news and written by Simpledot's AI; facts are limited to what the sources above report as of the published time. Spot an error? Tell us.