Israel's election ends without a majority; Germany reacts cautiously
In the October 27 Knesset election no bloc reached 61 seats; Netanyahu's bloc took 53 and the opposition 48. Germany is withholding judgment until a coalition is clear.
On 27 October 2026, Israel held an election for the 120-seat 26th Knesset. According to the final vote count, no political bloc won the 61 seats needed to form a government.
The results
According to Al Jazeera and The Jerusalem Post, the bloc of right-wing and religious parties led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took 53 seats, while the opposition bloc took 48. Arab parties won a record 19 seats. Netanyahu's Likud remained the single largest party with 26–27 seats.
Coalition uncertainty
The question of forming a government is unresolved. Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot is attempting to form a government and has met Naftali Bennett and Yair Golan. However, because he has pledged not to ally with Arab parties, reaching 61 seats without them is difficult. Fresh elections are also possible.
Germany's response
Germany was in no hurry to judge the result. Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Giese said at a 29 October press conference that Germany remains in contact with all sides through its ambassador to Israel, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff. Jürgen Hardt, the foreign-policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU group in the Bundestag, said a centrist government would be preferable for Israel.
The 'far-right' concern
In an interview with Tagesspiegel (28 October), Jürgen Hardt pointed to the far-right ministers in the government: "As ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich espouse far-right positions." This reflects a mood in Germany of hoping the next government will not include religious-nationalist, far-right forces.
