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.
An aerial view shows a campaign billboard depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and US President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv on October 26, 2026, on the eve of the Israel’s legislative elections. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in this week’s elections helped him “a lot”.
“I think when the endorsement went out, it had helped him a lot,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, referring to Netanyahu.
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.
