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, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. (AP Photo)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc led preliminary seat projections from the country’s parliamentary election on Oct. 28 but remained six seats short of a majority.
With more than half the votes counted, Israeli news site Ynet projected 55 seats for Netanyahu’s bloc, 49 for opposition parties led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot and 16 for Arab parties, based on Central Elections Committee figures.
A majority requires 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset. The projections remained provisional as counting continued after the Oct. 27 vote.
Likud was projected to remain the largest party with 27 seats, followed by Eisenkot’s Yashar with 21. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Together list was on course for 11.
The Joint List, which represents Palestinian citizens of Israel, was projected to take 12 seats, while Ra’am was set to receive four.
U.S. President Donald Trump shared a Truth Social post crediting his endorsement with improving Netanyahu’s prospects. The post suggested the outcome could be a stalemate or a victory for the prime minister.
Final results are due to be published by Nov. 4. President Isaac Herzog will consult party leaders before choosing a candidate to try to form a government.
