Neither the ruling coalition nor the opposition secured a parliamentary majority in the 120-seat Knesset after the Tuesday, October 28, 2026, parliamentary elections in Israel. Benjamin Netanjahu’s Likud party accused Arab political factions of election theft and corruption, while police reported no widespread fraud.
Likud Alleges Election Theft After Inconclusive Votes
Israel faced a profound political stalemate on October 28, 2026. Preliminary returns from the Tuesday parliamentary elections showed no clear path to a majority government for either Benjamin Netanjahu or his opposition rivals.
Over 85 percent of the ballots were counted. Likud led all individual parties.
Its governing bloc stood at 53 mandates. The primary opposition bloc secured 48 seats in the 120-member legislature, falling well short of the 61 votes required to govern.
Likud accused Arab political parties of stealing the election. The party termed this systematic illegalities.
Statements published by Novinky detailed the accusations. Likud asserted that the vote was subverted via bribery, threats, violence, forgery, and the use of illegal software to mobilize voters.
The party announced it had transferred hundreds of testimonies and evidence to authorities and the Central Election Commission. This evidence included thousands of envelopes containing cash and ballots linked to the Ra’am party.
Israeli police rejected the claims on October 29. Investigators found no evidence of widespread manipulation. Voting day proceeded calmly compared to previous years.
Police acknowledged investigating isolated complaints. These included the Tuesday arrest of three men suspected of buying votes for Ra’am with over 24,000 shekels in cash.
The Central Election Commission described the incident as unusual. It confirmed no other similar disturbances had been reported across the country.
Arab Parties Win Record Mandates in Knesset
Voter turnout reached nearly 78 percent. Dissatisfaction with the policies of the right-wing government following the attacks of October 7, 2023, fueled this surge in participation among Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Parties representing the Arab minority reached a record high in the legislature. The Joint List and the United Arab List, known as Ra’am, won a combined 19 mandates. They held the potential balance of power between the major Jewish political blocs.
Yusuf Jabareen, a leader of the Joint List, told Reuters that his faction intends to use its projected 11 seats to help oust the incumbent administration.
Gadi Eisenkot said according to České noviny, It is already clear, however, that Netanjahu is facing a larger and stronger Zionist and responsible majority tonight.
Translation of the quoted remarks: It is already clear, however, that Netanjahu faces a larger and stronger Zionist and responsible majority tonight. Eisenkot added that the public voted for change and that the coalition that failed had lost the trust of citizens.
Right-Wing Coalition Lacks Numbers to Retain Control
Forming a stable administration presents steep arithmetic and ideological hurdles.
Netanjahu called for a strong right-wing government in his post-election address. His current coalition partners—comprising Likud and far-right factions in power since 2022—lack the numbers to retain control.
Most mainstream Jewish opposition figures have historically ruled out formal partnerships with Arab-led parties.
Amir Fachúrí, a political sociologist at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, observed that the Jewish opposition may need Palestinian votes to unseat Netanjahu while simultaneously rejecting direct participation from those same partners.
Jabareen ruled out a direct entry into a cabinet led by Eisenkot due to policy disagreements over military actions in Gaza and southern Lebanon.
Jabareen left open the possibility of outside parliamentary support for a minority government. Far-right factions had held power since 2022.