Israeli election ends without majority as Netanyahu and Eisenkot blocs fall short

Exit polls point to a deadlock

Israelis voted on Tuesday, 27 October, for the 120-seat Knesset, and exit polls reported on Wednesday, 28 October, showed neither side with a majority. Two of the three exit polls gave no bloc a majority, while the third showed a slight edge for the incumbent prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Polls from Channels 11, 12 and 13 gave a similar picture, with the opposition bloc at 52 to 53 seats and the bloc around Netanyahu at about 50. Forming a government requires at least 61 seats, and no single party has ever won an outright majority in Israeli elections, so coalition building is the norm. Likud is expected to remain the largest single party, though with fewer seats than after the 2022 election. Official results will take several days to be announced.

Netanyahu bloc, approx.50

Opposition bloc, low52

Opposition bloc, high53

Arab parties, low17

Arab parties, high18

Netanyahu bloc, approx.

50 seats

Opposition bloc, low

52 seats

Opposition bloc, high

53 seats

Arab parties, low

17 seats

Arab parties, high

18 seats

Data from the article text

Arab parties could decide the outcome

Arab parties may hold the balance of power. Exit polls assigned them about 18 seats, and preliminary results put Mansour Abbas's Raam party at seven seats and the left-wing United List at 10 to 11, for a combined 17 to 18. Representatives of these parties hinted they could support Eisenkot in removing Netanyahu from power, according to reporting. Both blocs had excluded cooperation with parties representing Palestinians until now, which makes their role a sharp question for the talks. Reports described the result as the best in the history of Arab parties in Israel.

Eisenkot presses Netanyahu to withdraw

Gadi Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israeli army and a former minister without portfolio in the national unity government formed after the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023, leads the opposition bloc through his party Yashar, the largest force in it. Speaking after the polls closed, he said:

“The public voted for change. The coalition that suffered defeat has lost the public's trust.”

He called on Netanyahu to accept what he termed a 'vote of no confidence from voters' and withdraw from political life. Eisenkot argued that turnout of 77.7% made new elections a mistake, and announced a 'Zionist government' that would introduce universal military service, including for Orthodox Jews who are currently exempt, eliminate Hamas and respect all social groups. Netanyahu had not commented on the exit poll results at the time of the reports.

Netanyahu's claim and the path to a government

Netanyahu, speaking in Jerusalem, referred to a 'clear, decisive majority' and pointed to his relationship with US President Donald Trump. After official results are announced, President Isaac Herzog will consult parliamentary parties and then give the mandate to form a government to the candidate he believes has the best chance of building a majority. If coalition talks fail, new elections could be held in early 2027. Israel went through a similar deadlock between 2019 and 2022, when voters went to the polls five times.