Israeli election results pending as Netanyahu’s bloc loses ground

Israelis awaited the final count on Wednesday after a record‑high turnout signalled a rebuke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far‑right government.

Exit polls showed no clear winner, with both Netanyahu’s Likud party (20.6% of votes counted) and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar party (16.8%) trailing closely. The polls suggested each bloc could secure about 51 seats in the 120‑seat Knesset, while Arab‑led parties might win around 18 seats.

The turnout of 77.7% of eligible voters was the highest since 1999, reflecting public unease over Netanyahu’s alliance with far‑right figures such as Itamar Ben‑Gvir and over draft exemptions for the ultra‑Orthodox community.

Netanyahu, who praised Israel’s military achievements over the past three years, dismissed any coalition with Arab parties as “treasonous”, insisting a “strong, right‑wing, nationalist government” was needed. Eisenkot, however, said he would consider partnering with Arab parties if they recognised Israel as a Jewish state and condemned Hamas as extremist.

Final results, including hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots, are expected in the coming days, after which Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, will decide which leader to task with forming a government.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Element5 Digital / Pexels.