7 min read Oct 30, 2026 08:45 PM IST First published on: Oct 30, 2026 at 05:54 PM IST

(Left) Israeli lawmaker Mansour Abbas, leader of the Raam party; Palestinian candidate Yousef Jabareen of the Joint List party votes during the national election; and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (AP and Reuters photos)

Israel election results 2026: Israel’s Arab-led political parties have emerged as the most crucial players in the country’s government-formation process after securing a record 19 seats in the 120-member Knesset in the parliamentary election held on October 2. The final results gave the Joint List 11 seats and the Islamist Ra’am party eight, putting them in a position to influence whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains in power or the opposition attempts to form a government.

Netanyahu’s Likud-led bloc won 53 seats, while the opposition grouping led by Gadi Eisenkot secured 48. Neither has the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.…