Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he speaks to supporters at Likud party headquarters in Jerusalem following the release of the first exit poll results in Israel's general election, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. David Goldman/AP hide caption
Israel has held an important election– its first since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks on that country. The vote is a referendum on the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu who was in power when the attacks occurred and presided over the military responses that followed. And so far, there is no clear winner. With more than half the votes counted neither Netanyahu nor his center-right challenger Gadi Eisenkot have the majority needed to form a government. We hear what happens now and an analysis of what it means. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org .
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