Live Updates: Netanyahu's bloc leads with 54 seats to opposition's 49 after 4.4 million votes counted
Golan calls on opposition to form government with Arab parties • Nearly 80% of IDF troops voted in the 2026 Knesset elections • Trump claims endorsement shifted momentum for Netanyahu
Trump claims endorsement shifted momentum for Netanyahu in 26th Knesset election race
"When President Trump endorsed Bibi Netanyahu, the whole tide turned, and now, rather than a decisive defeat for a Great Prime Minister, it looks like a big come-from-behind stalemate, or even a WIN.
ByJONAH DAVIDOVUS PRESIDENT Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Israel has a 28-month window before Trump leaves office to entrench the processes now underway in Iran, Gaza, and Lebanon, according to assessments heard at the MEAD conference in Washington.(photo credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)Go to the full article > >
Netanyahu calls for right-wing government, warns against reliance on Arab parties
“The Likud is Israel’s largest party,” Netanyahu said, claiming the right-wing bloc had decisive support among Jewish and Zionist voters and supporters of the Jewish state.
BySARAH BEN-NUNPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at Likud headquarters following the release of exit polls.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)Go to the full article > >
Anti-Netanyahu bloc vows not to let chance to replace government slip away
Sources in the change bloc told Walla on Tuesday that there will be no second chance, and that party leaders must be ready to break promises and make painful compromises to form a government.
ByYEHUDA SHLEZINGERYashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot alongside members of his party at the party’s election headquarters in Tel Aviv, following the closing of polling stations and the release of exit poll results on Israel’s general election night, October 28, 2026. (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)Go to the full article > >Israel votes 2026: All you need to know
The final voter turnout was 77.7% when polls closed at 10:00 p.m., according to the Central Elections Committee (CEC), up 7.1% from the 2022 election.
A party must receive at least 3.25% of valid votes to enter the Knesset.
The official results are expected by the end of Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
