Live Updates: Netanyahu calls for coalition of anti-terror parties, Oct. 7 survivors warn against unity gov't
IDI president says Israelis may not accept Arab parties in gov't • Opposition leaders to hold first joint meeting since election • CEC denies Likud request for briefing on suspected interference
Israel's leaders may not accept Arab parties even if required for coalition, IDI president says
At least two Arab parties, Hadash and Ta’al, have indicated a willingness to set some of their agenda aside to help change Israel’s current leadership.
ByRUTH EGLASH/JTAA protester holds a placard during a demonstration near the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem on October 31, 2026.(photo credit: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)Go to the full article > >
Netanyahu calls on parties who oppose terrorism to form ‘broad national gov't,’ open to discussion
“The Israeli public does not want a government that depends on Ra'am and the Joint List, parties that support terrorism and reject the existence of the Jewish state,” Netanyahu wrote.
ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAMPrime Minister and Likud party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu at the Likud party’s election headquarters at Binyanei HaUma (Jerusalem International Convention Center) in Jerusalem, following Israel’s general elections, early October 28, 2026.(photo credit: CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90)Go to the full article > >
Opposition party leaders to hold first joint meeting since election on Tuesday
Opposition party leaders have also reportedly agreed that their first move after the new Knesset is sworn in on November 10 would be to oust Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.
CEC denies Likud request for briefing on suspected interference before election results approved
The CEC chief rejected Likud's demand for an investigative briefing before the election results are approved and said the committee cannot block publication of the results.
BySARAH BEN-NUN Central Elections Committee head, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, leads a hearing at the Central Elections Committee, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, September 23, 2026(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)Go to the full article > >
Ousting Knesset Speaker Ohana with Arab support is ‘stabbing Israel in the back,' Chikli says
October 7 survivors, bereaved families urge Eisenkot to reject Netanyahu unity government
Among the signatories are residents of Gaza border communities who survived the massacre and remain displaced from their homes three years later.
BySHIR PERETSIsraeli activists demonstrate outside the home of Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot in Herzliya, calling on him to form an alternative government with the support of Arab parties, two days after Israel’s general elections, October 29, 2026.(photo credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90)Go to the full article > >
Democrats to recommend Eisenkot for prime minister ahead of meeting with Herzog
Party chairman Yair Golan has called for the opposition bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu to form a coalition with the Arab parties.
ByKESHET NEEVYashar 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 > >
Golan says Netanyahu unfit to make decisions regarding Israel’s security
Liberman pledges to recommend Eisenkot for PM, back Lapid as Knesset speaker
Avigdor Liberman said on Monday that Yisrael Beytenu will recommend Eisenkot for prime minister.
ByKESHET NEEVAvigdor Liberman leads Yisrael Beytenu, it is polling at around 10 seats.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)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.
Likud remains the largest party: Netanyahu's Likud won 27 seats, followed by Eisenkot's Yashar with 21 and Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad with 12.
Netanyahu's bloc leads, but falls short of a majority: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is set to hold 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot is set to hold 48 seats.
Arab parties hold 19 seats: The Joint List and Ra'am secured a combined 19 seats, giving them a potentially decisive role in efforts to form the next government.
What happens next? Once the official results are published, President Isaac Herzog will consult with representatives of the elected parties before tasking a lawmaker with forming the next government. The designated candidate will initially have 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to form a coalition.
Could Israel face another election? If no candidate succeeds in forming a government through the prescribed process, the political deadlock could ultimately lead to another election.
