Live Updates: First-time MKs prepare for Knesset ahead of swearing-in ceremony, Likud 'hopes for a miracle'
MK Porush says party will not join the government without solution for yeshiva students • Eisenkot seeks haredi parties' support to oust Ohana • Netanyahu calls for Zionist opposition support
Follow us on GoogleThe Knesset Speaker's gavel, used to open sessions and maintain order, is seen in the Knesset plenum, in Jerusalem, November 9, 2026(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Incoming MKs prepare for 26th Knesset ahead of swearing-in ceremony in orientation day
The 26th Knesset will have 47 first-time MKs, who took part in an orientation day on Monday to prepare for their entry into the parliament.
ByKESHET NEEVThe Knesset is prepared for new MKs to be sworn in, November 9, 2026.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)Go to the full article > >
Likud officials ‘hope for a miracle’ as haredi parties weigh joining Eisenkot government - analysis
As Netanyahu works to block an Eisenkot government, Likud officials concede privately that if UTJ gets an acceptable draft arrangement, “all that remains is to put our trust in God.”
ByANNA BARSKYUTJ delegation meets in the President's Residence, Jerusalem, ahead of consultations with President Herzog, November 5, 2026.(photo credit: OREN BEN HAKOON/ISRAEL HAYOM/POOL)Go to the full article > >
Netanyahu confidante Eshel repeatedly inquired with Ra'am's Abbas about Eisenkot coalition - report
One of the first occasions on which Eshel made contact with Abbas, N12 reported, was to ask him about whether he would back Eisenkot in a vote over the draft law.
ByTZVI JASPERNatan Eshel attends the Jerusalem Day celebration at the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva in Jerusalem, May 20, 2012.(photo credit: NOAM MOSKOWITZ/FLASH90)Go to the full article > >
Eisenkot seeks haredi parties' support to oust Knesset Speaker Ohana on inauguration day
Following Yashar's request, UTJ party chairman MK Yakov Asher said the party would not support efforts to replace Ohana before a new government is formed.
Netanyahu calls for all Zionist opposition parties to join him in unified government
Netanyahu said any Zionist party could join him in the government and that he was not eliminating anyone, while also saying that he, as the head of the largest party, should lead it.
ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Likud’s election headquarters, where his confidence in his party’s support contrasted with polls that had consistently underestimated Likud’s strength.(photo credit: JALAA MAREY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)Go to the full article > >
MK Porush says party will not join gov’t without solution for yeshiva students
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 holds 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot won 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? President Isaac Herzog has awarded the mandate to Eisenkot, presenting him with the task of forming the next government. Eisenkot 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.
