On October 29, 2026, the Central Election Commission of Israel announced the completion of the vote count in double envelopes for the elections to the 26th Knesset, which took place on October 27. According to preliminary results, Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc receives 53 seats, the change bloc, where the largest party is led by Gadi Eisenkot, receives 48, and two Arab parties receive 19. Neither side has the necessary 61 mandates to form a stable majority.
Author: Lev Varshavsky
According to the CEC, results from 12,644 polling stations and accounting groups have been entered into the system — 5,589,836 votes. Of these, 5,564,764 were recognized as valid, 25,072 as invalid. Another 24,713 votes, according to the distributed counting summary, remained at the stage of entry and verification. The CEC also reported that 673 accounting groups are related to the counting of special envelopes. Official final results are expected on November 4 after checking compliance with electoral legislation.
The feature of the current voting is a record number of double envelopes, estimated at between 430,000 and 480,000.
This is how military personnel, reservists, diplomats, hospitalized citizens, and other voters outside the usual polling station vote. The outer envelope allows checking the right to vote and prevents repeated participation, while the inner one preserves the secrecy of the choice. The counting began on October 29 at 01:00, with about 10,000 workers involved in its organization.
How the 120 mandates were distributed and why Netanyahu’s bloc cannot form a majority
The largest party remains Likud with 27 mandates. “Yashar!” of Gadi Eisenkot receives 21 seats, “Beyahad” of Naftali Bennett — 12, the Arab “Joint List” — 11, RAAM of Mansour Abbas and “Democrats” of Yair Golan — eight each.
Seven deputies each are received by NDI of Avigdor Lieberman, “Yahadut HaTorah” and “Otzma Yehudit” of Itamar Ben-Gvir. Shas of Aryeh Deri and the union “Religious Zionism” — “Zeut” — six each. In total, 11 lists enter the parliament.
In the counting of special envelopes, Likud gained one mandate, while Shas lost one, reducing its representation to six deputies — the worst result in 34 years. The ratio of the main blocs has not changed.
The joint list “Reservists and Economic Party,” associated with Yaron Zelekha, gains about 2.7%, “Amcha Israel” — about 1.7%. Both forces do not overcome the legal threshold of 3.25%. For the first party, this is especially indicative: even significant support among those voting in special envelopes did not compensate for the lack of votes in the general sample.
For readers of NANews, it is important to distinguish between the victory of an individual party and the right to form a government. In Israel, the prime minister does not automatically become the leader of the largest list. The president conducts consultations with parliamentary factions and entrusts the formation of the government to a deputy who, in his opinion, has the best chance of assembling a coalition.
Netanyahu, with 53 mandates, lacks eight votes. The change bloc, with 48 seats, lacks thirteen. Even separate support from RAAM, which has eight deputies, would only increase its potential number to 56.
At the same time, 19 deputies of Arab parties cannot be considered a single ally of Eisenkot. The “Joint List” and RAAM represent independent political forces, and their positions regarding participation in the coalition and external parliamentary support differ.
Coalition negotiations and SHABAK investigation: what might change
On October 29, Eisenkot held political consultations with Bennett, Yair Golan, and Yair Lapid. Golan separately met with Mansour Abbas, discussing the possibility of forming an alternative government. Lieberman stated that he does not intend to join a cabinet with Netanyahu, Ahmad Tibi, and ultra-Orthodox parties.
Simultaneously, a scandal erupted over suspicions of foreign interference. The chairman of the CEC, Supreme Court Judge Noam Solberg, demanded an investigation into possible illegal financing of electoral activity. Israeli media publications mention Qatar and alleged financial channels linked to foreign structures.
SHABAK confirmed the investigation but emphasized that its content and results are premature to assess until the completion of investigative actions. Qatar denied the accusations. Separately, the police are investigating an episode with RAAM activists and funds of approximately 10,000 shekels; no established connection between the two investigations exists at the time of publication.
“Likud” accused of possible election theft, Ben-Gvir demanded tough actions against the leaders of Arab parties. Eisenkot, on the contrary, warned against using suspicions to delay the convening of the new Knesset. The police stated that the accusations of election theft are not supported by the materials they have.
Earlier, NANews — Israel News Nikk.Agency thoroughly examined the “Qatari trace” in the elections, the SHABAK investigation, and possible political consequences. In the current situation, it is crucial to separate verifiable suspicions from proven violations of the law: the mere fact of an investigation does not yet invalidate the voting.
For Ukraine and Israel’s international partners, the significance of the elections is primarily related to the future composition of the government and its foreign policy decisions. However, drawing conclusions about changes in relations with Kyiv, Washington, or European capitals based solely on the preliminary distribution of mandates would be premature.
By the evening of October 29, the count was almost complete, but the political struggle was not. The final distribution of seats must undergo official verification, after which consultations on forming the government will begin. The main point remains confirmed: the largest party remains with Netanyahu, but his bloc does not have a parliamentary majority.