ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated:

Israel's two main haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), are expected to enter the next Knesset with 14 seats combined, according to results published by the Central Election Committee on Wednesday.

Both parties are expected to get seven seats, after almost five million votes were counted by the CEC. UTJ received 6% of the votes, and Shas has 5.5%, according to the latest published data.

The results would mark Shas's worst electoral performance in 27 years. Its leader, Arye Deri, did not address his supporters at the party's election headquarters in Jerusalem following the publication of exit polls on Tuesday night.

Both Shas and UTJ are part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political bloc, and their combined seat total could prove crucial in determining whether he can secure the 61 seats needed for a Knesset majority.

Neither party has committed to joining only a Netanyahu-led coalition, and Shas’s spiritual leader has indicated that he would be open to joining a government led by prime ministerial candidate Gadi Eisenkot. This challenges the assumption that a vote for Shas necessarily translates into support for a Netanyahu-led government.

A view of the empty Shas party election headquarters in Jerusalem, following the closing of polling stations and the release of exit poll results on Israel’s general election night, October 27, 2026.
A view of the empty Shas party election headquarters in Jerusalem, following the closing of polling stations and the release of exit poll results on Israel’s general election night, October 27, 2026. (credit: YOSSI ZAMIR/FLASH90)

The military draft was a major issue in the election, with the ultra-Orthodox parties facing pressure over their opposition to mandatory enlistment for yeshiva students. The next government's approach to haredi conscription is expected to be a key point in coalition negotiations.

'Perhaps we will join': Haredi parties won't rule out working with Eisenkot

The ultra-Orthodox parties have not ruled out cooperating with Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, N12 reported on Wednesday morning.

"If Eisenkot has any sense, he will form a government and not fill the [ministerial positions] that are important to us," source in the Shas party told N12."

"If there is a reasonable conscription law, perhaps we will join later,” the source added.

Eisenkot has previously said that he would not include haredi parties in his coalition, saying they did not meet his criteria for joining the government.