Lahore Mirror — Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, appear to have fallen short of securing an outright majority in the country’s parliamentary election, according to exit polls.
The projections suggest a significant setback for Netanyahu, whose right-wing and ultra-Orthodox coalition is expected to lose substantial support after years of political controversy and security challenges.
Setback for Netanyahu
According to Bloomberg, exit polls indicate that Eisenkot’s opposition bloc is on track to secure 52 seats in the 120-member Knesset, compared with 50 for Netanyahu’s right-wing religious alliance. CNN’s latest projections put Netanyahu’s bloc at 52 seats and Eisenkot’s at 49, with Arab parties potentially winning 19 seats.
Neither side has secured the 61 seats required to form a majority government.
Arab Parties as Kingmaker
The election has placed Israeli Arab parties in a potentially decisive position, with their representation in parliament expected to nearly double to 18 or 19 seats, depending on the final results.
Bloomberg reported that the two Arab parties, Ra’am and the Joint List, could become kingmakers during negotiations to form the next government.
Eisenkot is widely expected to hold talks with one or both parties to strengthen his position. An agreement could prove easier with Ra’am, led by Mansour Abbas, which previously participated in an Israeli governing coalition from 2021 to 2022.
However, political differences could complicate negotiations. Eisenkot has said he would not accept a coalition partner that refuses to recognize Israel as a Jewish state or acknowledge Hamas as a terrorist organization that must be dismantled.
The Joint List has indicated it could support a government seeking to remove Netanyahu without formally joining the coalition.
Eisenkot said the election results represented a vote of no confidence in Netanyahu and his government, referring to widespread criticism over the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack.
“The public has voted for change,” Eisenkot said, pledging to work with political partners to establish a stable government.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, faces difficulties securing support from Arab parties, particularly because his far-right coalition partners are likely to oppose any such arrangement.
The election recorded a voter turnout of 77.7 per cent, the highest since 1999, according to Israel’s Central Elections Committee.
Nearly 5.7 million voters cast ballots out of approximately 7.3 million eligible voters.
The results have also renewed calls for an independent state commission of inquiry into the security and intelligence failures surrounding the October 7 attack.
Families of victims and survivors welcomed the exit polls, saying they reflected public support for accountability. Netanyahu has resisted establishing such a commission.
The final results are expected within the next 48 hours, but negotiations to form a government could take days or weeks.
Under Israel’s political system, President Isaac Herzog will consult party leaders before assigning a candidate the task of forming a government.
If Eisenkot fails to secure a coalition, Netanyahu or another candidate could receive an opportunity. Failure by all candidates could eventually lead to another election.
The outcome remains uncertain, but the exit polls indicate that Netanyahu faces a major political challenge as Israel enters a potentially prolonged period of coalition negotiations.
