Israel Election Ends in Deadlock as Netanyahu Faces Fight to Stay in Power

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for a new right-wing government after exit polls showed no clear winner in the country’s parliamentary election, with neither his bloc nor the opposition projected to secure the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

Netanyahu said right-wing parties had won a “decisive majority” among the Zionist and Jewish public, while the results indicated that his coalition was narrowly ahead of the main opposition alliance. The Central Elections Committee reported voter turnout of 77.7%, the highest in nearly 30 years.

The three main Israeli television channels, 11, 12 and 13, projected Netanyahu’s bloc would win 51-52 seats, down sharply from the 68 seats held by his outgoing coalition. His Likud party was expected to remain the largest individual party, with 25-27 seats, but the results left his route to another term uncertain.

Parties opposed to Netanyahu were projected to win a combined 68-70 seats. However, the opposition is divided among right-wing, centrist and left-wing parties, as well as Jewish and Arab political groups. Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party was forecast to take 21-23 seats, making it the largest opposition party, but forming a government would require cooperation with Arab parties, which some opposition leaders reject.

Channel 14, which supports Netanyahu, offered a more favorable projection, putting his bloc at 60 seats and Likud alone at 30. The figures remain preliminary, with the final count expected to take several days.

Neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot declared victory when addressing supporters after the exit polls were released.

Speaking at Likud headquarters in Jerusalem, Netanyahu thanked voters for what he described as renewed confidence in his party. He said Likud had emerged as Israel’s largest party and argued that the right-wing bloc had secured a clear majority among the Zionist and Jewish electorate.

“We must establish a strong national right-wing government,” Netanyahu said. He warned against a government dependent on Arab parties he described as anti-Zionist and opposed to Israel’s existence, accusing them of viewing Hamas as a charity organization and calling Israeli soldiers war criminals.

Eisenkot, speaking at his campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv, said the results showed voters wanted Netanyahu to leave office. “We have made history! The public has voted for change. The coalition of failure has lost the people’s trust,” he said.

Eisenkot, a former chief of the Israeli military whose son was killed fighting in Gaza, argued that Netanyahu should step aside following the election result. He said a leader worthy of the office would acknowledge the public’s lack of confidence and announce his retirement from politics.

Arab parties also recorded a strong result, with turnout among Arab citizens reportedly exceeding 75%. The Joint List and Raam were projected to win a combined 17-19 seats, marking their strongest performance to date. Overall turnout reached at least 77.7%, the highest since 1999.

Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up roughly 20% of the population, were motivated in part by opposition to Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition, which is largely dominated by hard-line ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. During Ben-Gvir’s tenure as national security minister, crime and murder rates in Arab communities have risen sharply.

Joint List chairman Yousef Jabareen described the result as a historic moment, saying Arab political representation could no longer be ignored. Raam chairman Mansour Abbas told i24news that the record result reflected the policies of Ben-Gvir, Smotrich and a government he accused of neglecting Israel’s Arab community.

The increase in Arab turnout may have prevented Netanyahu’s bloc from securing a majority, but it also complicates Eisenkot’s effort to replace him. Eisenkot has set conditions for parties joining his government, including recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and acceptance that Hamas is a terrorist organization that must be dismantled. Most Arab lawmakers are unlikely to agree to those terms.

Two of Eisenkot’s opposition partners, Avigdor Liberman and Naftali Bennett, have also ruled out forming a government with Arab parties, leaving his path to power uncertain.

Once the election results are certified, President Isaac Herzog will begin consultations in Jerusalem, during which each elected party will recommend its preferred candidate for prime minister. Herzog will then choose the candidate he considers most likely to assemble a majority of 61 lawmakers, a decision that does not automatically go to the leader of the largest party.

Netanyahu leads the largest party, but Eisenkot could receive more recommendations if Arab parties support his candidacy. Whoever receives the mandate will face weeks of negotiations over cabinet positions, budget priorities and policy commitments.

The candidate tasked with forming a government has 28 days to do so, with a likely 14-day extension available. If that attempt fails, Herzog can give another candidate four weeks to form a government. If that also proves unsuccessful, the Knesset has a limited period to nominate another candidate; otherwise, Israel will automatically hold another election.

A unity government involving Netanyahu and Eisenkot remains another possibility, although its prospects are uncertain. Netanyahu has a history of breaking agreements with political partners, while Eisenkot has ruled out joining a government led by him.