Live blog on the Israel election: ++ Netanyahu wants to form a government - Eisenkot too ++

According to forecasts, there is no clear election winner in Israel - but both the Netanyahu camp and the alliance around ex-military chief Eisenkot are claiming the formation of a government for themselves. The Arabs can make gains

Live blog election in Israel ++ Likud accuses Arab parties of election fraud ++ As of: October 28, 2026 • 9:49 p.m

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's party is accusing the Arab parties of electoral fraud after their strong performance. President Herzog wants to prevent the formation of a government from failing at all costs.

The most important developments at a glance:

We hereby close this live blog. Thank you for your interest.

After the parliamentary election, UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk called for a new government to change course on international law. "The message is: Don't continue on the current course of war where you think you're above international law - because I think that's exactly what we're seeing right now," he said in New York. He hopes that a new government will “fundamentally” change its course.

At the beginning of the week, following an Israeli military operation in Hebron in the occupied West Bank, Türk warned of "ethnic cleansing" by the Israeli security forces. “Collective punishments” are a serious violation of international law.

Israel has voted, but neither camp has a majority. The formation of a government is likely to take a long time. Until then, Netanyahu will remain in office - with far-reaching consequences for the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and the entire region.

The formation of a government is likely to take a long time. Until then, Netanyahu will remain in office. more

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing conservative Likud party has harshly accused Arab parties of electoral fraud. "The elections in the State of Israel were stolen by Arab parties that support terrorism and the destruction of the Jewish state," the Likud party said in a statement. There was talk of “serious crimes,” including “bribery, threats, violence, forgery and the use of banned software to mobilize voters.”

The Likud said it was submitting witness statements and evidence to the authorities. The allegations could not initially be independently verified. Netanyahu's party called on the security forces to conduct a comprehensive investigation and "consistent criminal prosecution of those responsible." According to the Likud party, the integrity of the elections in Israel was “massively compromised”. According to the news portal ynet, the election committee said it would examine the complaint.

Björn Dake, ARD Tel Aviv, on the role of the Arab parties in forming a government in Israel tagesschau, Das Erste, October 28th, 2026 • 5:00 p.m. October 28th, 2026 • 4:54 p.m. Dormition abbot hopes for Arab-Jewish coalition Even if the official final result is not yet available, the preliminary result shows, according to Benedictine Father Nicodemus Schnabel that the majority voted out the previous government. It would be good for the Jewish opposition parties to join hands with the Arab parties and form a common government, said the abbot of the Dormition in Jerusalem.

The winners of the election were clearly the Arab parties and the opposition as a whole, he said. It is time to rethink Israel and boldly take the step of a Jewish-Arab partnership. He rated the high voter turnout and the radical change in the attitude of the minorities, who had given up their long-standing boycott stance, as positive. Now it is important to end the “demonization” of the Arab parties.

The Arab parties probably performed better than ever before in Israel's election. more

The lists of Arab Israelis continue to grow after 85 percent of the ballot papers were counted. Together, the United List and Raam have 19 of the 120 seats in parliament, as the Israeli Electoral Commission announced. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc has 53 seats, while the opposition alliance under Gadi Eisenkot has 48 seats.

The final election results are expected by Friday morning at the latest. It is becoming difficult to form a government. The Arab lists are likely to play a decisive role in this, and according to the partial results, they are likely to win more parliamentary seats than ever before. Support from the Arab parties could pave the way for the opposition to power.

The EU hopes for close cooperation with the future government after the parliamentary elections in Israel. For the EU, it is about advancing cooperation and addressing all issues of common interest and all existing differences of opinion, said a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in Brussels. In addition, they want to work together to promote regional stability and security as well as a just and lasting peace. "As far as our approach is concerned, we will continue to rely on open and honest dialogue in the future," said the spokesman.

The EU has recently been deeply divided in its dealings with Netanyahu's government. A number of member states pushed for tougher action against the settlement policy and the military course in the Gaza Strip. However, Germany and other states have so far rejected sanction options such as EU-wide import restrictions or bans on goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The election in Israel is being followed with excitement in this country. Despite criticism of Netanyahu, the federal government remains cautious. more

Faced with a stalemate between the two major political camps after the parliamentary elections, Israeli President Isaac Herzog is trying to prevent a failure to form a government. "We must do everything in our power (...) to avoid another round of elections," he said, according to his office.

Voter turnout was higher than it had been in decades. Herzog said this characterizes Israeli society and speaks to the deep desire for democracy in Israel. When the outcome of the election is officially determined, he will begin consultations.

Even after most of the votes have been counted, there are no clear results in Israel. “If this election has shown one thing, it is how divided, how torn society is,” says ARD reporter Pia Steckelbach from Tel Aviv on tagesschau24.

If you talk to people who voted for the bloc of change led by challenger Gadi Eisenkot, "you notice a certain disillusionment" because they would have liked a clearer result. The voters of the Arab parties, on the other hand, are happy. "The Arab parties are, one could say, the winners of this election. They will probably get more seats than ever before in the history of the country."

But there is also joy among the supporters of the current government camp around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "because the bloc received the most votes, even if not an absolute majority." However, the outcome is still unclear. “We can expect weeks in which attempts will be made to somehow find a coalition.” We don't know whether this will succeed in the end.

Stalemate after parliamentary elections: ARD journalist on election results in Israel tagesschau24, October 28th, 2026 • 2:00 p.m. October 28th, 2026 • 1:19 p.m. Is the stalemate situation insoluble? The current stalemate between the government and the opposition was expected, says Middle East expert Woertz in an interview. "Now you have this situation and you will have to see how it can be resolved - or whether it perhaps cannot be resolved at all." According to the expert, Netanyahu could also benefit from new elections.

Israel could be heading for new elections again after the parliamentary elections, says Middle East expert Woertz. more

With more than 77 percent of votes counted, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing religious bloc appears to have consolidated its lead. However, the camp does not reach a clear majority. According to Israeli media reports, there are currently 54 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, while the opposing camp of ex-military chief Gadi Eisenkot has 49 seats. 61 seats would be needed for a majority. The Arab parties now have 17 seats.

An alliance of Arab parties say they are ready to pave the way for the replacement of Benjamin Netanyahu's government. United List leader Yussef Jabarin said the day after the parliamentary election: "The government of Netanyahu and (far-right Police Minister Itamar) Ben-Gvir has made the life of every Arab citizen hell." He called Israeli voters' support for Arab parties "historic."

“We will know how to use our political strength to advance the values we believe in,” said Jabarin. "We are ready to pave the way for the replacement of the government of Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and (Finance Minister Bezalel) Smotrich - and send them home."

The preliminary result is expected on Friday (October 30). The official final result should be published a week after the election. In addition to the votes of civilians resident in the country, the electoral committee also counts those of soldiers and diplomats who voted abroad.

Once the final result is available, President Isaak Herzog will receive representatives of all parties that have reached the 3.25 percent threshold and discuss with them who they favor as prime minister. Herzog then commissions the candidate who he believes has the best chance of forming a government to form a government. He has up to 42 days to form a government. If this attempt fails, another candidate gets the opportunity - he has 28 days to do so.

If this attempt to form a government is also unsuccessful, a majority of the Knesset members can submit a request to the President to appoint a specific candidate to form the government. At the end of an ultimate failure there is a new election.

Israel has voted - but who will rule the country in the future is unclear. more

Voter turnout in Israel's parliamentary election was higher than it has been in 25 years. Many Israelis living abroad traveled specifically to cast their vote, as there is no general postal voting in the country. But it could now take months until a government is formed.

After the election in Israel: forming a government could take months Pia Steckelbach, ARD Tel Aviv, tagesschau24, October 28, 2026 • 9:00 a.m. October 28, 2026 • 10:27 a.m. 70 percent counted: Arab parties with 19 seats After more than 70 percent of the votes were counted, the situation at the top has changed slightly: the Netanyahu camp has 54 seats, the alliance around Gadi Eisenkot to 47. However, the Arab parties gained three seats and are currently at 19.

The leader of the left-liberal Democrats in Israel, Jair Golan, called for the formation of a coalition with the Arab parties after the election. The right-wing conservative Prime Minister Netanyahu lost, said Golan, according to his office. Overall, the opposition has more votes than Netanyahu's right-wing religious camp.

“We have no future here if we don’t stop being afraid,” Golan continued. "And if we don't put an end to racism. We can no longer accept Netanyahu's racist distinction between Jewish and Arab voices." Anyone who tries to erase the voices of Arab citizens is capitulating to Netanyahu and giving up on Israel.

Israel votes. Psychologist Merav Roth experiences society as traumatized after October 7th. more

The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Armin Laschet, welcomes the fact that, according to the current count, there is not enough for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's alliance to continue to govern. It is now possible and extremely desirable to form an Israeli government without right-wing extremists, said the CDU politician in the morning magazine on ARD and ZDF. He pointed out that a new coalition of national unity was now possible with forces from the opposition and the government.

The foreign policy spokesman for the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Jürgen Hardt, is of the same opinion. He spoke on the rbb about the defeat of the concept of governing with right-wing radicals. He now wants the country to see that a new government can do without right-wing or left-wing extremist forces, he said.

According to Israeli media, as the counting progresses, the lead of Israel's incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's camp is slowly but steadily growing: After counting around 60 percent of the votes, his Likud and allied parties have 56 Knesset seats, while Gadi Eisenkot's opposition alliance has 48. However, both alliances still miss the necessary majority of 61 seats. According to projections, the Arab parties currently have 16 seats.

US President Donald Trump expressed satisfaction with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's performance in the parliamentary elections. Trump said he had heard that Netanyahu had done very well. Although the result was close, it could still be considered a success. His election recommendation probably helped Netanyahu a lot. Maybe he will win or there will be a stalemate.

Around half of the votes have now been counted. According to the Israeli Electoral Commission, Netanyahu's Likud party and its allies have 55 of the 120 seats in parliament after almost 52 percent of the ballots have been counted. The opposition alliance under Gadi Eisenkot has 49 seats, the Arab Israelis' lists have 16.

It was a long night at the campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. But this morning didn't bring any clarity. On the contrary: Israel is threatened with a months-long political blockade after the election. Read the report from our correspondent Julio Segador here.

It was a long, nerve-wracking night at the campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. more

After counting a good 37 percent of the votes in Israel's parliamentary election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing religious bloc has slightly increased its lead, according to the media. However, he still does not achieve a clear majority. According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu's camp currently has 57 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, ten seats ahead of the opposing camp of ex-military chief Gadi Eisenkot.

Netanyahu's Likud party was reportedly the strongest force with 27 seats in parliament. Behind them is the center party Jaschar von Eisenkot, which has 21 seats.

According to projections, after the election in Israel, no political camp will have a majority in parliament. more

After the narrow outcome of the parliamentary elections in Israel, both blocs claimed the right to form a government. Both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the main opposition politician Gadi Eisenkot announced that they wanted to form a new government. However, both blocs missed the required majority of 61 seats. According to forecasts, they were tied. On the other hand, the two lists of Arab citizens recorded significant gains - they could now become kingmakers.

Netanyahu or Eisenkot - Who will prevail in the parliamentary elections in Israel? Pia Steckelbach, ARD Tel Aviv, tagesthemen, Das Erste, October 27th, 2026 • 9:45 p.m. October 28th, 2026 • 3:14 a.m. Netanyahu calls for government without Arab parties Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned against a government with Arab parties. “We must not form a government that is based on Arab, anti-Zionist parties,” said the 77-year-old that night. He accused the Arab parties of opposing the existence of Israel, calling the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas a charity and denigrating Israeli soldiers as war criminals.

The Arab parties apparently improved their results significantly. According to forecasts, the Islamic-conservative Raam Party would get seven seats, the left-wing United List ten to eleven. Together they could surpass their previous record of 15 mandates from 2020. The parties do not belong to Eisenkot's bloc, but could help him gain a majority. However, Eisenkot had practically ruled out forming a government with them.

Stalemate after parliamentary election in Israel tagesschau, Das Erste, October 28th, 2026 • 4:56 a.m. October 28th, 2026 • 1:31 a.m. Ex-military chief Eisenkot wants to form a new government Ex-military chief Gadi Eisenkot wants to quickly form a new government after the parliamentary election in Israel. The country is “on the way to a new era of hope,” said the leader of the center party Jashar in front of supporters on election evening. According to forecasts from leading television channels, his party became the second strongest force in the vote behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing conservative Likud party.

The 66-year-old Eisenkot has positioned himself as Netanyahu's strongest challenger. The former military chief, who lost a son and two nephews in the Gaza war, is considered a moderate in domestic politics, but takes a hard line on security issues. He rejects a Palestinian state and calls for the destruction of Hamas' military wing. Eisenkot entered politics four years ago. Read a portrait here:

Netanyahu's challenger Eisenkot wants to overcome the social divide. Who is the ex-military man? more

The Israeli parliamentary election is seen as a groundbreaking election, if not a fateful election. This is also reflected in the voter turnout: at 77.7 percent, it was the highest in more than a quarter of a century. Read more about the mood in the country before the election here:

More than 7.3 million eligible voters vote. 70,000 citizens from all over the world are flying in. more