On a morning when the votes were still being counted, Israel found itself suspended between two halves of its divided public, with neither Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor Gadi Eisenkot's opposition able to claim the 61 seats that a majority requires. It is a moment that recalls how democracies sometimes hold their breath, asking a fractured electorate to reveal not just a verdict but a path forward. The record turnout and the uncertain role of the Arab party Ra'am suggest that the outcome will be decided less by the ballots themselves than by the choices that politicians are now forced to make.
Israel's Election Yields No Clear Winner as Exit Polls Leave Netanyahu's Future in Doubt
No clear winner, and a record turnout behind it
Mark
The headline says no winner. Is it really that close?
Mimi
On the exit polls, yes. Kan 11 and Channel 13 both have the blocs at 51 each, and Channel 12 has 52 to 49 for Netanyahu's side. None reach 61.
Luke
Worth remembering those are projections, not counts. Just over half the vote was counted by 7:30 a.m., and the networks' numbers have already moved during the night.
Mark
Yet Netanyahu's coalition holds 68 seats now.
Mimi
Right, and the polls put his bloc at 50 or 51. That's a big drop even if he stays in the game, and Likud is still the largest party.
Mark
Why does Ra'am matter so much?
Mimi
With seven projected seats, no government seems possible without it playing some part. Yet Netanyahu rejected relying on Arab parties, and much of the opposition has also ruled out Ra'am.
Luke
Seven seats is the exit poll figure. And whether either bloc would actually cooperate is unknown. The reporting says they may have little choice, which is an assessment, not an outcome.
Mark
And the turnout?
Mimi
66.7% by 6 p.m., the highest partial figure since 1973. It also raises the bar for small parties to pass the 3.25% threshold.
Luke
Whether that hurts Winter's Amcha Israel is still open. It was near the line in last week's polls, nothing more is confirmed.
O Pulso
- Exit polls show Netanyahu's bloc and the opposition deadlocked near 51 seats each, short of the 61 needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
- Record turnout of 66.7% by 6 p.m. pushed the country into a charged, crowded finish, with a rejected request to extend voting and a Hebron polling station kept open past its closing time after a power outage.
- Netanyahu and Eisenkot both claim the moral high ground, with one calling for a strong right-wing government and the other insisting that a decent leader must step aside.
- Ra'am, projected at seven seats, has become the kingmaker that both sides publicly reject yet may be forced to court.
- Final results are not expected until Wednesday, and weeks of coalition bargaining could follow, with Netanyahu's future hanging in the balance.
On a morning when the votes were still being counted, Israel found itself suspended between two halves of its divided public, with neither Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor Gadi Eisenkot's opposition able to claim the 61 seats that a majority requires. It is a moment that recalls how democracies sometimes hold their breath, asking a fractured electorate to reveal not just a verdict but a path forward. The record turnout and the uncertain role of the Arab party Ra'am suggest that the outcome will be decided less by the ballots themselves than by the choices that politicians are now forced to make.
By early Wednesday, with just over half the votes counted, Israel's election had produced no clear winner. Exit polls put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc and the opposition led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot in a near tie, and neither looked likely to reach the 61 seats needed in the 120-seat Knesset. The numbers shifted all night, and exit polls, though often reliable in Israel, remain projections until the official count arrives.
For the governing side, the night marked a steep fall. Netanyahu's current coalition holds 68 seats, and much of the country had framed the vote as a referendum on its longest-serving prime minister. Turnout reached a record 66.7% by 6 p.m., and the Central Elections Committee refused to extend voting past 10 p.m., though a settler polling station in Hebron stayed open late after a power outage.
Both leaders addressed supporters. Netanyahu stressed that Likud was the largest party, called for a strong right-wing government, ruled out relying on Arab parties, and pointed to a chance to end the Iranian threat with US President Donald Trump. Eisenkot said the public had voted against Netanyahu and that a decent leader would resign. He pledged a government focused on ending military exemptions for Ultra-Orthodox men and warned against new elections.
The arithmetic now rests heavily on Ra'am, the religious Muslim party led by Mansour Abbas, projected at seven seats. Both camps have ruled out working with it, yet the result may leave them little choice. Arab turnout, and the online warnings against it, became a bitter theme of election day. Small parties near the threshold also hang in the balance, and their fate could tip Likud's prospects.
Final counts may take days, and coalition talks could stretch for weeks. Whether Netanyahu's own allies stand by him after such a drop remains an open question.
By early Wednesday morning, with just over half the votes counted as of 7:30 a.m. local time, Israel's election had produced no clear winner. Exit polls from the main television networks put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc and the opposition led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot in a virtual tie, and neither was projected to reach the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
The numbers shifted through the night. Early projections from public broadcaster Kan 11 gave Eisenkot's bloc 53 seats against 50 for the ruling coalition, with Netanyahu's Likud at 25 as the largest single party. Updated figures put both blocs at 51 on Kan 11 and Channel 13, while Channel 12 showed the pro-Netanyahu camp slightly ahead, 52 to 49. Kan 11 also raised Likud to 27 seats. Exit polls generally have a fairly good reputation in Israel, but they remain projections, and final results are not expected before Wednesday.
The context is a steep fall for the governing side. Netanyahu's current coalition holds 68 seats, while the exit polls gave his bloc between 50 and 51. Much of the Israeli media had framed the vote as a referendum on the country's longest-serving prime minister. Turnout was the highest in decades: 66.7% by 6 p.m., the highest partial figure since records began in 1973, edging past the 65.2% recorded at that point in 1973 and 1988 and well above the 57.7% in 2022. The Central Elections Committee rejected a request from Likud and some other groups to extend voting past 10 p.m., citing high turnout across all sectors. Hours were extended in some places, including a settler polling location in Hebron where a power outage pushed closing from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Both men spoke to supporters early Wednesday. Netanyahu told cheering backers that the real results were still awaited, stressed that Likud was the largest party, and called for a strong right-wing government. He ruled out relying on Arab parties, which made strong gains, and said Israel had a unique opportunity with US President Donald Trump to end what he called the Iranian threat.
Eisenkot, speaking in Jerusalem, said the public had voted against Netanyahu continuing as prime minister and that a decent leader would resign. He warned that new elections would be a mistake and pledged to form what he called a Zionist conscription government, reflecting his campaign focus on ending military service exemptions for Ultra-Orthodox men. He also told Netanyahu not to use Israel's security for political needs and argued he no longer had a mandate to launch new wars.
The arithmetic gives outsized weight to Ra'am, the religious Muslim party led by Mansour Abbas, projected at seven seats. Its number two candidate is Yoav Segalovich, a Jewish former senior police chief. Both the Likud-led coalition and much of the opposition have ruled out partnering with Ra'am, but the results may leave them little choice. Violence and crime in Arab communities and the war in Gaza may have shaped its result. As one Israeli pollster put it, Israelis were reminded that their population includes Arabs and Palestinians with Israeli citizenship.
Arab turnout was a theme of election day. Netanyahu's online appeals warned of high Arab turnout, with one post claiming Muslim Brotherhood supporters were raiding polling stations and stealing the election, and another sharing an image of a queue in Rahat. Sami Abou Shahadeh of Balad, part of the Joint List, answered by urging supporters to vote against what he called incitement by Netanyahu and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The threshold may matter too. At 3.25%, it rises with turnout, endangering small parties. Amcha Israel, led by former commander Ofer Winter, and the Reservists Party were near the line in last week's polls. Winter has said he will join a Netanyahu coalition, so his party's failure to enter would hurt Likud's prospects.
Final counts may take days, and coalition talks could run for weeks. Whether Likud's ranks and partners stand by Netanyahu after such a drop remains to be seen.
Citações Notáveis
The public voted against the continuation of Netanyahu as prime minister.— Gadi Eisenkot, opposition leader
We must put in place a strong government of the right.— Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister
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Politics & Governance