Election in Israel: No clear majority, instead hopes and frustration

After the election in Israel No clear majority, instead hopes and frustration As of: October 28, 2026 • 3:03 p.m

After the parliamentary elections, Israel is threatened with a deadlock: none of the camps has a clear majority. Prime Minister Netanyahu is combative. His opponents are disappointed - but continue to hope for changes.

For some it feels like a triumph, for others it feels like a rude awakening. The only thing that is certain today is that the words that proclaimed victory over the Netanyahu government that night only have a short half-life. For example, what Gadi Eisenkot, the former Israeli chief of staff who stepped in to replace Netanyahu, said: "The Israeli public has spoken out against Benjamin Netanyahu continuing to serve as prime minister."

According to Eisenkot, after a vote with such a high turnout, it would be a mistake to hold elections again. "It is our duty - my very personal duty - to do everything in our power to implement the will of the people."

All developments on the Israel election in the live blog. more

But what is the will of the people? It is true that, according to the latest projections, Netanyahu's coalition with right-wing extremist and ultra-religious partners no longer has a governing majority. But Eisenkot and his alliance are even further away from that.

There was one of the rare moments during the night when Netanyahu could be heard singing on an open stage. "Don't be afraid, Israel, because you are like a lion," intoned the man who ruled Israel for 19 years and now has at least a chance of remaining in power. He previously said: "We have prevailed against our enemies - and together we will continue to prevail against them in the future."

It remains unclear who he meant by that. The arch-enemy Iran, which he repeatedly invoked during the election campaign and which, according to Netanyahu, wants to wipe out Israel, or the internal enemy in the form of Arab-Palestinian Israelis, against whom Netanyahu and his partners had agitated during the election campaign and who make up more than 21 percent of the Israeli population.

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

After it looked during the night as if the two large blocs were roughly evenly positioned, Netanyahu now has a clear lead in the projections. For those who had hoped for an end to his government, this means disappointment.

This is how Edo Lustig, for example, who flew in from abroad especially for the election, sees it:

Ayyoub Sawalha from Jaffa voted for one of the Arab parties. According to the current count, they have 19 seats in this election - but whether they will be involved in a future government is anything but clear. Eisenkot has also ruled out a coalition with them so far.

Sawalha still has hope for a new government and changes - "so that we can live together in peace. I don't want the racism of the last four years and I hope we have things better now." He also hopes that Arab parties will have greater influence, because this time more Arab voters voted than at any time since the 1990s.

Strategy consultant Nili Reichman explained why this is the case on Israeli Army Radio: "A part of the population has expressed its opinion in large numbers and has spoken out against the discrimination it has experienced for four years and against the incitement of the past government." The Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, for example, practically campaigned for the Arab parties through his rhetoric and thus won them around 19 seats.

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

It is unclear what will become of the majority situation that is emerging. When the official final result is known, President Itzchak Herzog will begin the explorations and will then issue the order to form a government.

That probably applies to the fact that it goes to Benjamin Netanyahu. But it remains to be seen whether he will achieve a government majority. Israel is threatened with a stalemate.

This topic in the program: The First | daily news | Oct 28, 2026 | 12:00 p.m