Times of Israel, on Targeting

6.0out of 10Serious

With over 66% of ballots counted, Netanyahu-led bloc at 56 seats

Tap a highlight to see why it matters.1 finding

Live Update From the Liveblog of

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

With over 66% of ballots counted, Netanyahu-led bloc at 56 seats

With 66.2% of ballot boxes counted as of 9:20 a.m., partial results published by the Central Elections Committee give 56 seats to the bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and 48 seats to the bloc led by Yashar’s Gadi Eisenkot.

, which also oppose Netanyahu, are at 16 seats.

Sixty-one seats are required for a majority.

Parties currently below the 3.25% threshold: Reservists (2.7%), People of Israel (1.6%), Charedi Public (0.2%).

The results are partial and will change as counting continues. Votes cast in double envelopes, including those of soldiers, are counted later.

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What we found (1)

The Times of Israel gives a short, accurate-looking update on partial election results and says plainly that the count is incomplete. In its own voice it calls the parties of Palestinian citizens of Israel only "The Arab parties". It never names their Palestinian identity anywhere in the update.

  1. Erases a people's national identity

    Serious

    “The Arab parties”

    Why this matters
    The words "The Arab parties" are the outlet's own label, not a quotation or an official party name. They describe the 16 seats won by parties of Palestinian citizens of Israel with an Arab-only label.
    The impression it gives
    A reader comes away seeing these parties and their voters only as an ethnic Arab bloc inside Israeli politics, cut off from the Palestinian people.
    The context
    The update never uses the word Palestinian. Survey evidence shows most Arab citizens of Israel describe themselves in terms that include Palestinian: in Sammy Smooha's 2019 survey of 718 adults, 61.9% chose a self-description containing Palestinian. Arab and Palestinian identities coexist, and the Arab-only label leaves out the second.

    How we know

    • On the recordIn Sammy Smooha's April-June 2019 survey of 718 adult Arab citizens of Israel, including Druze and Bedouin, 61.9% chose a self-description containing Palestinian. This is historical survey evidence, not a 2026 percentage or proof of any individual's identity. Arab and Palestinian identities can coexist.newscord.org (opens in a new tab)
    • Our analysis“61.9% chose a description of themselves that included Palestinian”Palestinian citizens of Israel voted in record numbers
    • Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “Palestinian”.

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    The Palestinian-led parties, which also oppose Netanyahu, are at 16 seats.

How other outlets reported it

Our analysisPalestinian citizens of Israel voted in record numbers

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