Netanyahu bloc leads after 50 pct of votes counted

AFP, Tel Aviv

Published: 28 Oct 2026, 12:38 PM Updated:

Netanyahu bloc leads after 50 pct of votes counted

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses his supporters at the election night rally after the first exit polls were announced, in Jerusalem on early October 28, 2026, during Israel's legislative elections. Israeli voters on October 27 gave a narrow edge to opposition parties over Netanyahu, initial projections showed, after decades-high turnout in the country's first election since the trauma of the October 7, 2023 attacks. Photo : AFP

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The camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ahead of the opposition on Wednesday after 50 percent of votes were counted in Israel's pivotal general election, figures from the Central Elections Committee showed.

After 50.1 percent of ballots were counted, Netanyahu's bloc was projected to win 56 of the 120 seats in the parliament, compared with 49 for the opposition bloc and 15 for the Arab parties. The partial results are likely to change, and several exit polls showed the camps neck-and-neck without a majority.