Netanyahu bloc leads after half of Israeli votes counted but no majority

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to his supporters at Likud party headquarters in Jerusalem after the release of the first exit poll results in Israel's general election, on October 28, 2026. | Photo Credit: AP The camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ahead of his rival's Opposition bloc but still short of a majority on Wednesday (October 28, 2026) after 50% of votes were counted in Israel's pivotal general election.Voters turned out in the highest numbers in decades to give their verdict on Mr. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister who has pushed the country sharply to the right and unleashed a wave of wars in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.Following the vote, both Mr. Netanyahu and his rival Gadi Eisenkot vowed to form a government despite neither being projected to win a majority.After 51.8% of ballots were counted, Mr. Netanyahu's bloc was shown to have 55 of the 120 seats in the parliament.Mr. Eisenkot's Opposition bloc had 49 seats and the Arab parties 16. The partial results are likely to change as more votes are counted.Full results by October 29-30Exit polls had shown that Mr. Eisenkot, a former military chief and political novice, and his Opposition bloc were neck-and-neck with Mr. Netanyahu's hard-right camp, with both winning about 51 seats, well away from the threshold for a majority in parliament.The strongest gains came from Arab Israeli parties whose voters turned out in soaring numbers against Netanyahu, who has relentlessly warned that the minority would dilute the Jewish nationalist direction in which he has taken Israel.The partial results suggest that Mr. Eisenkot's bloc would have enough seats for a majority if there was a coalition agreement with the Arab parties.But Mr. Eisenkot said during the campaign he would not govern with Israeli Arab lawmakers, echoing the position of Mr. Netanyahu, who has suggested a government relying on Arab votes would lack legitimacy.Arab lawmakers could also give Mr. Eisenkot support in parliamentary votes to maintain a minority government without joining a coalition.A lack of clear majority for either camp could mean weeks spent trying to cobble together coalitions, with possible new elections on the horizon if negotiations fail. A stalemate could in the immediate term benefit Mr. Netanyahu, who would remain caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed.Full results are expected by Thursday evening or Friday morning (October 29-30).Mr. Netanyahu, greeting cheering supporters at a Jerusalem convention centre after 3 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Wednesday morning, called for a "strong government of the right" and said the "Jewish and Zionist majority must unite". The 77-year-old prime minister, who has governed Israel on and off for nearly two decades, was unusually brief and did not directly claim victory.U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday (October 28, 2026)that his endorsement of Mr. Netanyahu had helped the premier "a lot". Published - October 28, 2026 01:30 pm IST