Live Updates: Joint List, Ra'am expected to recommend Eisenkot for prime minister when meeting Herzog
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Herzog calls on political leaders to demonstrate flexibility ahead of coalition negotiations
The Joint List and Ra'am are expected to recommend Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister during consultations with President Isaac Herzog, a senior Joint List official told Walla on Sunday.
BySHIR PERETSHead of Ra'am Mansour Abbas holds a joint press conference with new party member Yoav Segalovich in Nazareth. August 31, 2026. (photo credit: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)Go to the full article > >
Joint List, Ra'am expected to endorse Eisenkot for prime minister
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.
