Netanyahu and Opposition Face Close Fight in Israeli Election with No Clear Winner
Arab-led parties are on course for a record 19 seats, raising their leverage as Netanyahu’s bloc falls short of a majority.
- With 85% of ballots counted, Netanyahu's Likud party and its far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies are on track to win 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, while opposition leader Eisenkot's Yashar party and allies are set for 48 seats.
- Tuesday's election was the first since the deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the wars that followed in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. President Isaac Herzog praised the 77.7% turnout as a "badge of honour" for Israeli society.
- Initial exit polls projected the rival blocs tied at 51 seats, but between 430,000 and 480,000 absentee ballots from soldiers and diplomats remain uncounted, potentially shifting the final outcome.
- Arab-Led parties are on course for an unprecedented 19 seats, positioning them as potential kingmakers; United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas hopes the Change Bloc can secure the 61 Knesset seats needed to form a government.
- Herzog expects to receive official election results next week, after which he will hold consultations with all political factions to invite the leader with the best chance of forming a government.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Netanyahu’s coalition draws ahead in Israel’s tight election race
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition took a slight lead in a tight election race, defying exit poll projections, though he remained short of the numbers required to form another government. Critics argued the results signaled voter disillusionment with Netanyahu’s leadership, but it was not clear the opposition bloc would be able to muster the support necessary to take power either. Arab parties won a record number of seats and …
Netanyahu and opposition face close fight in Israeli election with no clear winner
Early exit polling and results show incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is likely to secure more seats than the opposition, but still falling short of the majority required to form government.
The biggest surprise of the Israeli elections is the large mobilization of the Arab population. Experts on Israel and the Middle East, whom ČTK addressed today, agreed on this. Parties led by Israeli Arabs won an unprecedented 19 seats in the Israeli parliament after counting 85.6 percent of the votes. The blocs of...
Netanyahu remains in office, amid processes for a new government
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