Open Veils · Answer
Who won latest election in Israel?
No bloc won outright — Israel's October 27, 2026 election produced a fractured Knesset with Netanyahu's bloc at 53 seats, Eisenkot's opposition at 48, and Arab-majority parties at a historic 19. President Isaac Herzog awarded the coalition mandate to Eisenkot, not Netanyahu, despite Netanyahu leading the largest single bloc. The Arab parties — Joint List and Ra'am — now hold decisive swing power. Coalition formation remains unresolved and another election remains possible.
Evidence
- Per the Jerusalem Post (November 8, 2026), Likud remained the largest individual party with 27 seats, followed by Eisenkot's Yashar party at 21 and Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad at 12.
- Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition — which at its peak controlled 68 seats in the previous Knesset — collapsed to 53, per AP News (October 29, 2026).
- Eisenkot, a former IDF Chief of Staff and war cabinet member who broke publicly with Netanyahu over Gaza strategy, was awarded a 28-day mandate with a possible 14-day extension to build a coalition.
- Voter turnout hit 77.7%, up sharply from 2022, signalling deep public engagement after years of war and prolonged Netanyahu rule.
- That collapse reflects attrition from his ultra-Orthodox and far-right partners, whose positions on the Gaza war and judicial overhaul alienated centrist Israeli voters.