Netanyahu Bloc Leads After Half of Israeli Votes Counted but No Majority
Exit polls show Arab parties could hold the balance of power as coalition talks loom and a new election remains possible.
- On Wednesday, anxious Israelis awaited final results after a high-turnout election where exit polls showed no clear winner. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and centrist challenger Gadi Eisenkot each captured about 51 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.
- This race served as a referendum on Netanyahu's nearly unbroken 17-year rule, with election turnout reaching 77.7% of eligible voters. The Prime Minister had warned that Arab parties were heading to the polls in "unprecedented numbers," dismissing potential partnerships as treasonous.
- Eisenkot pledged to form a government after the vote, promising "a new era — an era of hope" in a speech focused on national unity. Arab-led factions appeared to secure about 18 seats, holding a potentially decisive position.
- As Netanyahu refuses to partner with Arab parties, whose constituents make up 20% of Israel's population, negotiating a majority coalition remains difficult. Eisenkot has left the door open for cooperation if parties recognize Israel as a Jewish state and Hamas as extremist.
- Israel faces weeks of political negotiating or another round of elections early next year with no clear path to a majority. The country previously held five elections between April 2019 and November 2022 due to similar stalemates.
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553 Articles
The first parliamentary elections since the terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, and the devastating war in Gaza are taking place in Israel. Follow all developments in this live blog.
Israel awaits election results as exit polls suggest close race for Netanyahu - Regional Media News
Votes from Israel's parliamentary election were still being counted on Wednesday morning, after exit polls suggested a tight race between the two coalition blocs led by incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his prime challenger Gadi Eisenkot, the former chief of the Israel Defense Forces. [...]
Netanyahu and his opponent both spin election as victory as results trickle in
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot both spun the parliamentary results as a victory for their respective sides on election night, despite full results not yet being confirmed. As of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday local time, 84.5% of the vote had been counted, with the Central Elections Committee giving Netanyahu’s bloc 54 […]
What to know about Israel’s election results as votes are counted with no clear winner
No clear winner has emerged in the vote-counting in Israel’s national elections, and weeks of negotiations may lie ahead as an array of parties seeking to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin...
Netanyahu remains ahead in the count, but no bloc comes close enough to the 61 seats needed to govern
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