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Israel held an election in which neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor challenger Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc won a majority, according to the account. Netanyahu’s Likud party was the largest, but was reportedly less able than Eisenkot’s party to reach a majority. The next question is who will be tasked with forming a coalition government.
14 sources
Israelis voted in parliamentary elections for the 120-seat Knesset, the first since the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023. The contest was seen as a test for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party against an opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party. Polls before voting indicated that neither major bloc would win the 61 seats needed for a majority, leaving coalition-building uncertain. Israelis living abroad also travelled to Israel to vote, as voting from abroad is generally not permitted. Exit polls after voting closed put Likud in first place as the largest party, but indicated that Netanyahu's allied bloc had lost its parliamentary majority and that the broad opposition bloc had more seats. The exit polls were provisional, and no final result was reported.
16 sources
Israelis voted in parliamentary elections in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud emerged as the largest party, while opposition parties led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot received greater combined support than Netanyahu’s coalition in some exit polls. The exit polls differed over the balance between the two blocs, but none showed either side reaching a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Arab parties, projected to win 18 or 19 seats in one exit poll, could be important to government formation. With about three quarters of the votes counted, reporting indicated that neither bloc could form a government on its own and that political deadlock remained possible. Final results are not yet available. Netanyahu called for a strong right-wing government, while Eisenkot said voters had rejected Netanyahu and called on him to leave politics. Netanyahu remains prime minister until a new government is formed.
8 sources
Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc remained ahead as votes were counted in Israel’s parliamentary election, while his Likud party appeared set to remain the largest party. With 84.5 percent of votes counted, reports said the governing bloc was still not on course for a parliamentary majority; earlier projections put it on 54 seats against 48 for parties backing opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot. Neither bloc was expected to secure a majority on its own. Eisenkot urged Netanyahu to resign before final results were known and warned him not to use national security for political advantage. Netanyahu called for a strong right-wing national government and rejected cooperation with Arab parties. Meanwhile, opposition politician Yair Golan and Arab Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen advocated cooperation with Arab parties, whose support could be important in forming a coalition.
9 sources
Israel’s parliamentary election recorded turnout of 77.7%, the highest since 1999, after earlier turnout figures had also been described as the highest in decades. Initial exit polls put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party first, while giving the opposition bloc led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot more seats than the pro-Netanyahu bloc but no majority for either side. As votes were counted, the pro-Netanyahu bloc moved ahead. With nearly 42% counted, preliminary results gave Likud 28 seats and its allied bloc 57 seats, still four short of the 61 needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Later reports put the bloc at 56 seats, while Netanyahu remained ahead and coalition formation remains unresolved; Arab parties may be decisive, according to one report.