# Israeli Election Deadlock Persists as Likud Alleges Arab Vote Fraud and Liberman Holds Balance of Power

*Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at 6:06 PM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-10-28T18:06:19.094Z (2h ago)
**Category**: geopolitics | **Region**: Middle East
**Importance**: 7/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/21811.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Preliminary results from Israel’s 27 October election show no camp reaching a majority, with Likud accusing Arab parties of stealing the vote and Avigdor Liberman controlling pivotal seats while ruling out both Netanyahu and reliance on Arab factions.

Israel is once again facing a split parliament and uncertain coalition talks after its latest national vote.

Preliminary counts from the 27 October election, not yet including the final tally of military votes, leave neither the current right‑wing bloc led by Likud nor the opposition with a clear majority in the Knesset. A forwarded analysis circulated at 16:03 UTC on 28 October highlighted that the result keeps Israeli politics in a familiar deadlock.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, projected to win 26 seats, has accused Arab parties of stealing the election through fraud and intimidation. Those allegations come after record gains for Arab parties and despite election officials reporting no evidence of systematic tampering.

Against this backdrop, Avigdor Liberman has emerged as a central figure. Once a close Netanyahu ally and now a critic, he leads a party that holds enough seats to determine which side could form a government.

Liberman has signaled that he wants Netanyahu out of office but is open to working with Likud as a party. At the same time, he refuses to sit in a coalition that depends on Arab parties, which are also needed by opposition figure Gadi Eisenkot to build a governing bloc.

This combination of red lines narrows the range of viable coalitions. One scenario would involve a government including Likud but not Netanyahu, an outcome that would require internal shifts within Netanyahu’s own party. Another relies on cooperation with Arab parties, which Liberman rejects.

The standoff keeps key policy questions on hold, from budget decisions to security and domestic reforms. It also leaves Israel’s allies and adversaries watching a political system that has struggled to produce stable governments in recent years.

The next major indicators will be the president’s consultations on who receives the first mandate to form a government, any change in Liberman’s conditions, and signs of dissent within Likud regarding Netanyahu’s continued leadership.