Exit polls show that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main challenger Gadi Eisenkot secured the 61-seat majority needed to form a government. Israel’s election ended in a political deadlock on Tuesday.
CNN reported that Arab voter participation appeared to rise significantly compared with previous elections, after turnout reached about 53% in 2022. Earlier reporting noted: Israel election exit polls show no clear winner as Netanyahu and rivals fall short of majority File photo: Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot Earlier reporting noted: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s Likud party is projected to emerge as the largest party in the Knesset, but opposition parties led by Gadi Eisenkot are ahead as a bloc, with neither side securing a clear path to a parliamentary majority, according to exit polls by Channels 12, 13 and public broadcaster Kan. Earlier reporting noted: Channel 13 projects Likud to win 25 seats and Yashar 23. It puts the anti-Netanyahu bloc at 53 seats, compared with 50 for the right-wing religious bloc supporting the prime minister. Arab-led parties are projected to win a record 17 seats.
Ta’al party leader Ahmad Tibi said his party’s main goal was to remove Netanyahu’s government and prevent him from leading any potential transitional administration. The rise in Arab representation followed a sharp increase in turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel, according to the Jerusalem Pos t.
Netanyahu loses majority as opposition faces coalition challenge
Netanyahu’s Likud party remained the largest single party, with exit polls placing it at around 24–25 seats. Eisenkot’s opposition bloc was projected to win 53 seats, while Netanyahu’s bloc received 50 seats, according to the KAN11 exit poll. Unaligned parties were projected to hold 17 seats.
CNN correspondent Jeremy Diamond said Eisenkot currently holds a “very narrow edge” based on exit polls but remains far from the majority needed to form a government. “Right now, we are seeing a result that is showing no clear winner,” Diamond said, adding that Eisenkot’s opposition coalition was projected to reach around 52 seats, below the 61-seat requirement. However, his traditional allies, including far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties, failed to secure enough seats to guarantee another Netanyahu-led government.
