Live Updates: Liberman rejects possibility of sitting with Arab parties, bloc leaders hold coalition talks
Netanyahu meets Ben-Gvir, Smotrich as opposition leaders hold coalition talks • Shas's Deri rules out joining opposition bloc government without Likud as UTJ weighs talks
PM's son Yair Netanyahu deems Israeli Arabs 'greatest danger' to Israel besides Iran
The Prime Minister's son, Yair Netanyahu, claimed Israel "cannot survive long-term when 20% of its population identifies with its enemies and wants its destruction."
ByAVI SOLOMONYair Netanyahu, son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arrives for a court hearing on his request for a restraining order against Haaretz journalist Uri Misgav at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court in Jerusalem, July 15, 2026.(photo credit: CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90)Go to the full article > >
'We will not sit with supporters of terror': Liberman says no to coalition with Arab parties
Middle Israel: Netanyahu and Eisenkot both lost, but Israel may have emerged the winner
The opposition had every reason to win by a landslide, but Eisenkot offered no vision beyond replacing a failed government.
ByAMOTZ ASA-EL(L-R): Yashar head Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu(photo credit: MAYA LEVIN, JEWEL SAMAD/various sources/AFP via Getty Images)Go to the full article > >Israel votes 2026: All you need to know
The final voter turnout was 77.7% when polls closed at 10:00 p.m., according to the Central Elections Committee (CEC), up 7.1% from the 2022 election.
Likud remains the largest party: Netanyahu's Likud won 27 seats, followed by Eisenkot's Yashar with 21 and Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad with 12.
Netanyahu's bloc leads, but falls short of a majority: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is set to hold 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot is set to hold 48 seats.
Arab parties hold 19 seats: The Joint List and Ra'am secured a combined 19 seats, giving them a potentially decisive role in efforts to form the next government.
What happens next? Once the official results are published, President Isaac Herzog will consult with representatives of the elected parties before tasking a lawmaker with forming the next government. The designated candidate will initially have 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to form a coalition.
Could Israel face another election? If no candidate succeeds in forming a government through the prescribed process, the political deadlock could ultimately lead to another election.
