Live Updates: Joint List's Tibi says his party will not join coalition, Eisenkot sets coalition principles
Mossad to provide Shin Bet with assessment of suspected foreign interference in elections • Likud MKs deny that they Yashar members asking them to defect • Liberman denies speakership reports
Victors and vanquished alike: Israel cannot afford another war among itself - opinion
The government belongs to those elected to lead it. The country belongs to all of us. I believe Rabbi Sacks would have recognized this as the essence of covenant.
ByJONATHAN LIEBERMANA woman passes by a banner depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump day after the country held a national election, in Jerusalem, October 28, 2026(photo credit: REUTERS/RONEN ZEVULUN)Go to the full article > >
Joint List's Tibi says his party will not join coalition, supports replacing Knesset speaker
On Sunday, Tibi announced a plan to support an alternative government from outside the coalition in exchange for commitments to address the needs of Arab society.
ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFMK Ahmad Tibi attends Hadash–Ta'al faction meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on June 29, 2026.(photo credit: CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90)Go to the full article > >
Yashar claims list members received calls from Likud MKs, ministers
Eisenkot lays out four coalition principles, says 'any MK' who accepts them can join government
Eisenkot said on Saturday that any MK willing to endorse his four principles could join a broad Zionist government, as he seeks to translate the October 27 election results into a new coalition.
ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFYashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot alongside members of his party at the party’s election headquarters in Tel Aviv, following the closing of polling stations and the release of exit poll results on Israel’s general election night, October 28, 2026.(photo credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90)Go to the full article > >
Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Lapid meet to discuss election results, coordinate next steps
Yisrael Beytenu’s Liberman denies that he wants position of Knesset speaker
"I have received several inquiries regarding demands for the position of Knesset speaker. I have no desire and no intention of becoming Knesset speaker," Liberman wrote on social media.
ByAVI SOLOMON, JERUSALEM POST STAFFYisrael Beiteinu party chairman MK Avigdor Liberman at the party’s election headquarters in Tel Aviv, on Israel’s general election night, October 27, 2026.(photo credit: Tal Gal/Flash90)Go to the full article > >
Mossad to provide Shin Bet with assessment of suspected foreign interference in elections
At this stage, it is unclear whether the assessment includes investigative findings regarding potential foreign election interference or only an expert opinion.
ByAMIR BOHBOT, JERUSALEM POST STAFFIsraelis cast their votes at a polling station in Jerusalem during Election Day, October 27, 2026.(photo credit: Rachel Alroey/Flash90)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.
