Israel Election Results 2026 LIVE Updates: Netanyahu pushes for ‘broad government’, warns of radical Islam threat

Israel Election Results 2026 LIVE: President Herzog began consultations with party leaders to decide whom to invite to form the next government. He said he would announce his decision on Sunday.

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Under Israel’s Basic Laws, the formation of a government could take several months, and if no one succeeds, a fresh election follows.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the formation of a “broad government” led by him, saying a government dependent on parties that support terrorism would be unable to tackle the threat of radical Islam. Ynet Global report.

In a video statement, Netanyahu said that “A government dependent on terrorist-supporting parties will not be able to deal with the challenge of radical Islam that threatens us from within and without.”

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“Only a broad national government headed by the Likud and under my leadership, which will include all components of the national bloc and all Zionist parties that wish to join, will be able to deal with this challenge,” he added.

Meanwhile, Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot is leading incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the race to form Israel’s next government, securing the backing of 67 Knesset members against Netanyahu’s 46.

Eisenkot received endorsements from a majority of lawmakers following consultations between political parties and President Isaac Herzog.

The October 27 parliamentary elections ended without a clear winner, with neither Netanyahu nor his rival, former military chief Eisenkot, securing a majority. Following the results, President Herzog began consultations with party leaders to decide whom to invite to form the next government. He said he would announce his decision on Sunday.

Herzog also said he would hold “personal talks with some of the party leaders” over the Israeli weekend, which runs from Friday to Saturday, according to The Guardian.

Netanyahu’s coalition lost its majority in the election, falling from 68 to 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. The Change bloc of Zionist parties, led by Eisenkot, secured 48 seats, leaving parties representing Israeli Palestinians in a decisive position with a combined 19 seats.

The Joint List won 11 seats, while the more conservative Islamist party Ra’am secured eight.

Both Arab-majority parties reportedly backed Eisenkot, according to Haaretz. United Torah Judaism (UTJ), which has often aligned itself with Netanyahu, did not endorse either candidate.

Netanyahu will remain caretaker prime minister until a new government secures a confidence vote in the Knesset. If neither bloc manages to form a coalition, Israel could be headed for another election.

Follow the latest updates on the Israel election here. This live blog tracks the key developments as voting day unfolds. The headline, introduction, and Top Developments section will be refreshed throughout the day to reflect the most important news from the vote.

Live Updates
Nov 6, 2026 03:22 PM IST
Police restrict Shin Bet access to election probe

A senior Israeli police official has directed investigators not to share information or assist the Shin Bet domestic security agency in its probe into alleged foreign interference in the parliamentary election without his explicit approval, according to a ynetnews report.

Deputy Commissioner Boaz Balat, head of the Israel Police Investigations and Intelligence Division, issued the directive to officers handling the case, requiring them to seek his authorisation before cooperating with Shin Bet investigators.

The order comes amid tensions between Israel's law enforcement and intelligence agencies, with the police expected to serve as the Shin Bet's operational arm in certain investigative activities linked to the allegations.

Nov 6, 2026 02:52 PM IST
Anti-Netanyahu bloc plans legislative push to roll back judicial reforms, target Knesset

Israel's anti-Netanyahu bloc is preparing a major legislative offensive to reverse key elements of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial reforms before a new government is formed, the ynetnews reported. The campaign is expected to begin with an attempt to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana when the newly elected parliament convenes on Tuesday.

The 26th Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on November 10. Leaders of the anti-Netanyahu bloc, headed by Yashar! chairman Gadi Eisenkot, are holding intensive discussions on how to use their parliamentary strength to overturn legislation passed by Netanyahu's outgoing coalition.

The bloc's immediate priority is to replace Ohana, a senior member of Netanyahu's Likud party, with a candidate backed by opposition parties. Securing the Speaker's position would give the bloc greater control over the parliamentary agenda and help accelerate efforts to repeal laws that have already come into force or are scheduled to take effect in the coming months.

Nov 6, 2026 01:47 PM IST
Netanyahu seeks broad government, rules out reliance on 'terrorist-supporting' parties

"Only a broad national government headed by the Likud and under my leadership, which will include all components of the national bloc and all Zionist parties that wish to join, will be able to deal with this challenge,” he added.

-Inputs from Ynet Global

Nov 6, 2026 11:19 AM IST
'Bibi or Tibi': Why Netanyahu's old election slogan is backfiring

Ahmad Tibi, a senior member of Israel's Arab Joint List, has told The Associated Press that his bloc is prepared to break with decades of political precedent and cooperate with Jewish-led parties to end Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rule.

“We want to do things that we did not do in the past in order to remove this criminal government,” Tibi told The Associated Press.

Tibi said the Joint List was willing to support an anti-Netanyahu government without formally joining the coalition.

Only one Arab party, Ra'am, has previously served in an Israeli government, joining the coalition in 2021. Ra'am is considered more conciliatory than the Joint List and held fewer seats at the time.

Ra'am has also expressed willingness to join an anti-Netanyahu government as a coalition partner. However, any such arrangement would still require the support of the Joint List.

Tibi warned that if Jewish-led parties rejected such a partnership, it would prove that Israel was “an ethnocracy, not an absolute democracy for all citizens”.

He acknowledged that an alliance with Netanyahu's opponents would not necessarily end the wars or lead to the creation of a Palestinian state. However, he said a “repair government” could improve the lives of Palestinian citizens by ending Netanyahu's rule and addressing domestic concerns, including rising violent crime in Arab communities.

Meanwhile, Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot has said that Arab-led parties must meet certain conditions to participate in a government partnership, including recognising Hamas as a terrorist group that must be destroyed.

Tibi said those conditions would not apply to parties such as the Joint List, which are offering support from outside the coalition rather than seeking cabinet positions.

During Israel's 2019 elections, Netanyahu, popularly known as Bibi, campaigned with the slogan “Bibi or Tibi?”, warning voters that opposing him could mean relying on Arab-led parties to form a government.

Tibi said on Tuesday that the latest election results had turned the slogan on its head.

“When he said ‘Bibi or Tibi,’ he incited against Arabs,” he said. “Now, it's ‘Tibi,’ because Arab voters went in a very massive way to take part in the elections. It's definitely our story this time.”

-Inputs from Associated Press

Nov 6, 2026 10:45 AM IST
Israel opposition eyes UTJ talks after Liberman drops Haredi veto

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman has dropped his veto on forming a government with Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties, opening the door for the opposition bloc to begin discussions with United Torah Judaism (UTJ), a longtime coalition partner of incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The bloc is reportedly discussing a more lenient military conscription law. According to The Jerusalem Post, Shas could also be compelled to support the proposal under pressure from Rabbi Lando.

- Inputs from The Jerusalem Post

Nov 6, 2026 08:32 AM IST
Eisenkot leads Netanyahu with 67 backers

The two days of Presidents' consultations concluded on Thursday, with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot securing the backing of 67 faction representatives set to serve in the 26th Knesset, compared with 46 who supported incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

-Inputs from N12

Nov 5, 2026 10:01 PM IST
Netanyahu casts doubt on election results, faces backlash over vote fraud claims

Benjamin Netanyahu, at risk of losing power, has seized on an investigation by election officials into possible vote tampering to cast doubt on the results, accusing Arab-led parties of stealing the vote. Critics accuse Netanyahu and his partners of trying ⁠to undermine the results, which he denies.

Israel's Central Election Committee said on Wednesday that the election's integrity had not been compromised. The head of the committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, has called on Israel's elected officials to protect public trust, rather than shake it.

"This ‌is a real danger. ⁠One of the foundations of democracy is the peaceful transfer of power," Sohlberg told Herzog at his residence on Wednesday. High voter turnout, including among the Arab minority, was a blessing, he said.

Netanyahu's allies on the far-right, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have called for the immediate arrest and interrogation of Arab party leaders.

- Reuters

Nov 5, 2026 09:20 PM IST
Netanyahu's position weakens as rival secures broad backing to try to form government

Benjamin Netanyahu's position in the post-election battle to stay on as Israel's prime minister weakened on Thursday after an ultra-Orthodox Jewish party withheld support for any nominee and two Arab-led parties endorsed his main opponent.

Israel's president Isaac Herzog was due to meet Netanyahu and his chief political rival Gadi Eisenkot to decide which of the two men to pick to form a government, after holding talks with smaller parties. He has until November 11 to decide.

Israel's ⁠October 27 election ended in deadlock with neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot, a former military chief, securing a clear path to a majority in parliament.

Nov 5, 2026 08:06 PM IST
What has Arab-led party Joint List said while supporting Netanyahu's rival Eisenkot?

After extending support to Yashar party chief Gadi Eisenkot to form the next government in Israel, the Arab-led party, the Joint List, said backing Eisenkot was important despite the opposition bloc’s failure so far to show sufficient willingness to “confront Netanyahu’s path, as well as to fight incitement against Arab citizens and attempts to undermine the legitimacy of their political decision.”

"Although Eisenkot has received more recommendations than Netanyahu, we believe it is important to widen the gap between them," the Joint List added, the Times of Israel reported.

Nov 5, 2026 07:54 PM IST
Netanyahu's rival Eisenkot gets majority as Arab parties back him as PM

The Joint List, one of the Arab-led parties, extended support to Benjamin Netanyahu's rival Gadi Eisenkot on Thursday, paving way for the Yashar party leader to be the next prime minister of the country.

Nov 5, 2026 07:04 PM IST
President Herzog to meet Netanyahu, Eisenkot as Israel faces government deadlock

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will meet separately with Eisenkot and Netanyahu at his residence in Jerusalem on Thursday night, wrapping up party meetings he started on Wednesday after the announcement of official election results. Herzog has called on parties to do their utmost to avert another round of elections.

"Any reasonable person need ⁠only look at the security and diplomatic ⁠challenges before us, at the changing region around us, and remember the issues tearing us apart from within, to understand that an immense responsibility rests upon us," Herzog said.

He ⁠met with smaller factions on Wednesday ‌and plans more meetings with parties in ascending order by size, culminating with Eisenkot's Yashar and Netanyahu's Likud.

Likud won the most seats of any single party with 27 in ‌the 120-seat Knesset, but Netanyahu's wider religious-nationalist coalition garnered only 53 in total. (Reuters)

Nov 5, 2026 06:52 PM IST
Netanyahu vs Eisenkot: Who will be Israel’s next PM? What’s happening?

The race to form a new government in Israel has entered its next phase after the country’s Central Election Committee certified the October 27 general election results and submitted them to President Isaac Herzog after the commission found no evidence of fraud, as claimed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party in an effort to discredit the vote.

The development comes after the Netanyahu-led bloc won 53 seats; his rival Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc got 48 seats, and Arab-led parties recorded 19 seats in the 120-member Knesset.

Reports stated that a round of consultations has begun at the president’s office, and Yesh Party chief Eisenkot is expected to present a higher number of recommendations than Netanyahu.

The Change bloc, which together holds 48 seats, is due to recommend Eisenkot as the candidate to form the next government, while Netanyahu is expected to win four of the five parties that ran alongside him in the elections, which have 46 seats altogether.

Read full story here

Nov 5, 2026 06:15 PM IST
Arab-led party Ra'am leader stops short of calling Hamas a terror group: Report

United Arab List (Ra’am) party leader Mansour Abbas, during consultation talks with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday, stopped short of labelling militant group Hamas a terror outfit, despite repeatedly condemning terrorism and political violence.

When asked if he views Hamas as a terrorist organisation, Ra'am leader Abbas said that defining the group as such would undermine his ability to act as an intermediary.

"Leave me this space to be a bridge. To also influence the other side. We are a bridge. Don’t turn us into supporters of terrorism and traitors...Leave me a space to protect myself and my family as well," Abbas said.

Nov 5, 2026 05:39 PM IST
Netanyahu's position weakens as ultra-Orthodox party withholds support

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position in the post-election battle to stay on as Israel's prime minister weakened on Thursday after an ultra-Orthodox Jewish party withheld support for any nominee and an Arab-led party endorsed his main opponent.

Israel's president was due to meet Netanyahu and his chief political rival Gadi Eisenkot to decide which of the two men to pick to form a government, after holding consultations with smaller parties.

Israel's October 27 election ended in deadlock, with neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot, a former military chief, securing a clear path to a ⁠majority in parliament.

- Reuters

Nov 5, 2026 05:18 PM IST
What are the final results of Israel’s elections?

In the 120-member Knesset parliament in Israel, 61 is the magic number to form the government.

Here are the 2026 general election results:

Pro-Netanyahu coalition won 53 seats:

Likud – 27
United Torah Judaism – 7
Otzma Yehudit – 7
Shas – 6
Religious Zionism – 6

The opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48 seats:

Yashar – 21
B’Yachad – 12
The Democrats – 8
Yisrael Beytenu – 7

Arab-led parties won 19 seats:

Joint List – 11
Ra’am – 8

Nov 5, 2026 05:01 PM IST
Netanyahu rival Eisenkot gains Arab party Ra’am's backing, takes support to 56 lawmakers in Israel PM race

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rival, Gadi Eisenkot, has received support from one of the Arab-led parties, Ra'am, which said that it would recommend him to form the next government.

If the support formally goes ahead, then Eisenkot will have 56 Knesset members on his side, Ynet, a Tel Aviv-based news site, reported. However, it is still short of a 61-seat majority in the 120-member Knesset parliament. Another Arab-led party, the Joint List, has not announced its position on the matter till now.

Nov 5, 2026 04:35 PM IST
Israel Knesset Speaker agrees to early vote on successor if 61 lawmakers demand it

Knesset Speaker and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ally, Amir Ohana, said on Thursday that he is ready to schedule a discussion to elect his successor if a majority of lawmakers request a new speaker, in response to Yisrael Beytenu and the Democrats' demands that an election be held to replace the Knesset speaker at the inaugural session of the 26th Knesset.

"The customary time to elect a Knesset speaker is when the government is formed. We will respect the members of Knesset, and if a majority of them request such a debate, I will schedule it for an earlier date, no later than a week from now," Ohana, a member of PM Benjamin Netanyahu's party, said, according to The Times of Israel.

Nov 5, 2026 03:58 PM IST
Israel President Herzog rebukes Netanyahu allies over 'stolen' election claims

Israel's President Isaac Herzog, who started the second day of consultations with parties to pick the next prime minister, reportedly clashed with representatives of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, an ally of PM Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, and rebuked them over allegations of election fraud, attacks on the attorney general, and remarks on Arab voters.

"You are citing hearsay; it is all speculation. In the legal world, things must be proven, and generalizations must be avoided. It is important to me that people exercise caution. Sometimes, definitive claims end up amounting to very little," President Herzog said in response, the Times of Israel reported.

Nov 5, 2026 03:42 PM IST
Eisenkot ally Yisrael Beytenu and Democrats demand vote to replace Knesset speaker

Gadi Eisenkot-led bloc's ally Yisrael Beytenu and the Democrats have demanded that an election be held to replace the Knesset speaker at the inaugural session of the 26th Knesset on Tuesday. Both parties have written letters to the outgoing 25th Knesset Speaker, Amir Ohana.

Nov 5, 2026 03:20 PM IST
Israel's Arab parties open to joining forces with Jewish blocs to end Netanyahu's rule

A veteran Arab lawmaker in Israel says his bloc is willing to break with decades of precedent and join forces with Jewish-led parties in a shared bid to end Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long rule.

"We want to do things that we did not do in the past in order to remove this criminal government," Ahmad Tibi, a senior member of the Arab Joint List, told The Associated Press.

But any such partnership could be politically fraught for both sides. For the Joint List, it would mean backing a government unlikely to end Israel's wars or curb settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. For Netanyahu's opponents, it would mean aligning with parties that not only criticise Israeli policies, but reject its identity as a Jewish state.

After historic voter turnout delivered Arab-led parties a record share in Israel's parliament, Tibi said the Joint List is willing to support an anti-Netanyahu government without joining it. That could reassure Jewish-led factions that view them with suspicion and satisfy their own constituents. It would still give the Joint List major influence. (AP)

Nov 5, 2026 02:23 PM IST
Herzog's schedule for consultation with parties

Here's the schedule of Israel President Isaac Herzog 's consultation with parties for pick a candidate for Prime Minister post.

08:30 – Torah Judaism

09:45 – Otzma Yehudit

11:00 – Democrats

12:15 – RAAM

16:45 – The Joint List

18:00 – Together

19:15 – Straight!

20:30 – Likud

Nov 5, 2026 02:02 PM IST
Palestinain Authority backs Eisenkot

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian was quoted as saying by Times of Israel that the PA would be willing to work with Yashar chair Gadi Eisenkot if he forms a government, provided he respects Palestinian rights.

Asked in an interview with the Saudi Al Hadath channel whether the PA could work with Eisenkot, Aghabekian says: “We can work with anyone who sees a Palestinian as a Palestinian who has rights, and who respects Palestinian rights and international law.”

“These are essential characteristics of any partner with whom we can enter into discussions about the future of the region and the future of the conflict and the occupation,” she says. “We want to see a partner who envisions a future for this region with peace, not wars.”

Nov 5, 2026 01:07 PM IST
United Torah Judaism declines to recommend any candidate for PM

The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party declines to recommend any candidate for prime minister during consultations with President Isaac Herzog, withholding its support from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Times of Israel reported.

Nov 5, 2026 12:10 PM IST
Israel election results: Opposition backs Eisenkot to oust Netanyahu, remains split over Arab parties

The political deadlock in Israel after the October 27 parliamentary elections continues as the question of who will emerge as the leader lingers, while the opposition leaders agreed in a meeting on Tuesday to back Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rival and former military chief, Gadi Eisenkot, to form a new government and remained divided over Arab-led parties’ cooperation.

During a 70-minute meeting in Israel’s Herzliya, the first since the election last month, the five party heads, Yashar’s Eisenkot, Beyachad’s Naftali Bennett, Atid’s Yair Lapid, Democrats’ Yair Golan and Beytenu’s Avigdor Liberman agreed to immediately coordinate efforts in order to replace the Netanyahu-led government with a national emergency government, Al Jazeera reported. The Israeli election results left neither bloc with a majority in the 120-member Knesset. Eisenkot-led bloc won 48 seats in the election.

Read the full story here.

Nov 5, 2026 11:07 AM IST
Oil falls for a fourth day on expectations for lower risk of Iran war escalation

Oil prices fell for a fourth day on Thursday on expectations the losses US President Donald Trump's Republican Party suffered in Congressional elections this week may reduce the risk of further escalation of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Brent futures fell 80 cents, or 0.85% to $93.82 a barrel as of 0426 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down $1.2, or 1.36%, to $86.92.

Both benchmarks tumbled by more than 8% in the previous session to settle at their lowest since August 31.

A weakened Trump, facing a ⁠Democratic Congress able to constrain his military options, has greater incentive to seek a deal, two sources close to Gulf government circles said on Wednesday. A full-scale assault on Iran now looks less likely, they said.

Nov 5, 2026 10:59 AM IST
Arab parties extend a hand to try and topple Netanyahu, but challenges remain

"We want to do things that we did not do in the past to remove this criminal government," Ahmad Tibi, a senior member of the Arab Joint List, told The Associated Press (AP).

Nov 5, 2026 10:35 AM IST
Israel’s President talks on who can form the government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog began consultations with party leaders on Wednesday to decide who gets the first shot at forming a government, following last week’s inconclusive election.

Over two days, politicians will meet Herzog at the president’s residence in Jerusalem. Each will argue that the mandate should go to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his main challenger Gadi Eisenkot, or another candidate.

Herzog’s first meeting on Wednesday afternoon was with the far-right Religious Zionism party, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. He then spoke with Avigdor Liberman’s right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu and the ultra-Orthodox Shas party. Parts of the talks were livestreamed.

Herzog urged the parties to soften some of their election demands to help end the political deadlock. With no clear winner, he said before the meetings, the country needs creativity, courage and goodwill from its politicians so that Israel as a whole comes out ahead, The New York Times reported.

Nov 5, 2026 10:11 AM IST
Israel election commission confirms final results

Israel’s election authority confirmed the final results on Wednesday, dismissing the prime minister’s claims of widespread fraud. The count, taken a week earlier, left Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right alliance without a majority to govern. His chief rival, Gadi Eisenkot, accused him of mounting a “pogrom against democracy”. He said Netanyahu was trying to cling to power by casting doubt on legitimate ballots and turning the security services on parties led by Palestinian citizens of Israel, The Guardian report said.

Nov 5, 2026 08:45 AM IST
Trump says US will cut military aid to Israel

US President Donald Trump has said Washington will stop providing nearly $4 billion in annual military assistance to Israel by the end of 2026, claiming that the country no longer needs the money. In a Fox News interview on November 3 (Tuesday), as Americans voted in the midterm elections, Trump said he had reached an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the funding. The US would still sell weapons to its Middle East ally and help them when needed, Trump said.

The announcement on the face of it sounds momentous, coming specially from a US President who is a steadfast Israel backer. But Trump offered no details on how the cutoff would be implemented, and the existing US-Israel military aid agreement runs until September 2028.

Nov 5, 2026 07:56 AM IST
Netanyahu vs Eisenkot: Who will be Israel’s next PM? What’s happening?

The general election results were submitted to the president on Wednesday, who has accepted them and is now poised to hold consultations for two days with leaders of the blocs before choosing the candidate who has the clearest path to form a government. The development comes after the Netanyahu-led bloc won 53 seats; his rival Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc got 48 seats, and Arab-led parties recorded 19 seats in the 120-member Knesset.

Herzog to hold consultations with party leaders

Reports stated that a round of consultations has begun at the president’s office, and Yesh Party chief Eisenkot is expected to present a higher number of recommendations than Netanyahu. Read more

Nov 5, 2026 06:51 AM IST
Herzog warned Netanyahu of ‘severe consequences’ for Israel, Jews from unchecked settler violence

President Isaac Herzog sent a warning letter last month to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials, warning of a “highly explosive and dangerous reality” in the West Bank, and lamenting the ongoing “moral disgrace” of settler violence.

“The IDF commanders, the police officers and the Shin Bet personnel present a worrying picture of limited tools and a shortage of manpower,” wrote Herzog to Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in an October 8 letter seen by The Times of Israel.

Nov 5, 2026 06:50 AM IST
Netanyahu vs Eisenkot: Who will be Israel’s next PM? What’s happening?

Nov 5, 2026 06:48 AM IST

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