Israel’s election: The battle between change and anti-Palestinian sentiment

What the report says

Israel’s latest election has left both the governing and opposition blocs short of the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority, according to Al Jazeera’s report from 28 October 2026. With roughly 80 percent of votes counted, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc led by Likud was on 54 seats, while the opposition camp led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot was on 49. Arab-led parties Ra’am and the Joint List were reported to hold 17 seats and could, in theory, help either side reach a governing majority.

The article says turnout was 77.7 percent, the highest since 1999, with especially strong participation among Palestinian citizens of Israel. Analysts cited by Al Jazeera linked that surge to anger over the treatment of Israel’s Palestinian minority and broader reactions to the war that followed the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023. The vote was also framed as a referendum on Netanyahu’s far-right coalition, which included figures such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

Al Jazeera reports that both major blocs campaigned in ways critics called anti-Palestinian or racist, and neither appeared willing to rely on Arab parties to form a coalition. The article says the next steps involve President Isaac Herzog consulting party leaders and assigning a coalition-building mandate. If no one succeeds, Israel could face another election. Analysts quoted by the outlet said several outcomes remain possible, including a unity government, defections, or a minority arrangement with Arab support, though such options were described as uncertain.