Netanyahu Bloc Holds 53 Seats as Opposition Bloc Reaches 48 in 2026 Vote
The Central Elections Committee reported that the opposition holds 65 seats including Arab parties, complicating coalition formation.
By Martin Reynolds ·
The Central Elections Committee announced on Wednesday morning that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc will enter the Knesset with 53 seats. The tally came after nearly five million votes were counted in the 2026 election.
Likud, Netanyahu's party, is projected to secure 26 seats. The Religious Zionist Party is expected to take six, while United Torah Judaism, Shas, and Otzma Yehudit will each hold seven seats.
The opposition bloc is projected to hold 48 seats. Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party leads the group with 21 seats. B'Yachad, co-led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, is expected to take 12. The Democrats, led by Yair Golan, and Yisrael Beytenu, led by Avigdor Liberman, are projected to enter with eight and seven seats, respectively.
Arab parties hold 19 seats in the new Knesset. The Joint List is projected to secure 12 seats, and Ra'am is expected to take seven.
Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats, stated that the opposition holds a majority of 65 seats when including Arab parties. "Netanyahu lost. I know how to count to 120. Sixty-five is more than 55. That's how Israeli democracy works. Period," Golan wrote on Wednesday morning. He called for the inclusion of Arab parties in the government.
Eisenkot has rejected serving under Netanyahu, including in a rotation government. He called for the leader of the largest opposition party to become the candidate for prime minister, though no agreement has been reached within the bloc. Joint List chairman Yousef Jabareen said his party is ready to help remove the current government. MK Ahmad Tibi told Army Radio that the opposition could form a government if it has the courage.
Exit polls suggest a minority government could win a confidence vote without the 61 seats required for an absolute majority. However, opposition within the bloc to relying on Arab parties could complicate this path. The parties may still reach an agreement through coalition negotiations, or the deadlock could lead to another election.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
