Jerusalem, 28 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Abraham Yustman, Agudat Israel’s representative on the Central Elections Committee, said Wednesday that nearly 200,000 votes were effectively wasted on small parties that failed to cross Israel’s electoral threshold.
“Ofer Winter and Hendel together are burning nearly 200,000 votes, even a little more,” Yoostman said, referring to preliminary election results and votes cast for parties unlikely to win Knesset seats.
Yustman estimated that United Torah Judaism could receive approximately 320,000 votes, up from around 280,000 in the previous election. Shas, meanwhile, could suffer a significant decline, potentially falling to seven seats and approximately 320,000 votes, compared with nearly 400,000 previously.
He estimated that Winter’s Amcha Yisrael party had received 71,000 votes, potentially rising to 90,000. Smaller Haredi parties also struggled to gain significant support, he added.
