Jerusalem, 28 October. Updated exit polls by public broadcaster Kan and Channel 13 give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc and the opposition bloc of former chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot 51 Knesset seats each, with 18 for Arab parties, so neither bloc reaches the 61 of 120 seats needed for a majority, the Anadolu agency reported.
Official results are expected on 4 November.
The revision erased Eisenkot's initial lead: in their first versions both channels gave his bloc 53 seats, Netanyahu's 50 and Arab parties 17. According to Channel 13, Likud remains the largest party with 27 seats, followed by Eisenkot's Yashar (23) and former prime minister Naftali Bennett's Together alliance (13); the Arab lists are the Joint List (11) and Ra'am (7). Channel 12's revised exit poll, according to CNN, gives Netanyahu's bloc 52 seats and the opposition 49. Exit polls are projections, not results: the count continues.
Turnout was 77.7%, the highest since 1999 and 7.1 percentage points above the 2022 election, the Central Elections Committee said. Among Arab voters it reached 80%, according to Channel 12.
Addressing supporters in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said he was "still waiting for the actual results" but claimed the right held a "decisive majority" among the "Zionist public", and called a government relying on Arab parties a danger to Israel. His own camp showed signs of wavering: an unnamed official of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, Channel 12 reported, did not rule out joining an Eisenkot government under acceptable conscription terms, while Democrats leader Yair Golan backed relying on Arab parties' votes.
What it means: Israel voted in the highest numbers in a quarter of a century but split almost evenly. Neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot has a majority on his own, and the outcome depends on who can win over the other camp's allies or lean on Arab parties.
Who benefits: Eisenkot and the opposition: a chance to change power if they can build a coalition with the ultra-Orthodox or with Arab lists' support. Netanyahu: the status of leader of the largest party and the first claim to the mandate. The Arab parties: unprecedented influence if at least one bloc accepts their support.
Background: This is Israel's first election since the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 and the first in many years held on schedule: the 25th Knesset was the first since 1988 to serve its full term. In the outgoing Knesset Netanyahu's coalition held 68 seats. After the official count President Isaac Herzog consults the factions and asks the person with the best chance of mustering 61 votes to form a government.
We have also reported that Israel was electing its Knesset with Eisenkot slightly ahead of Netanyahu in polls.
