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Israeli voters delivered a record turnout on Tuesday but left the country’s next government hanging in the balance, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing alliance nor the main opposition camp projected to secure a parliamentary majority.
Official figures put participation at 77.7 percent of eligible voters, the highest level in nearly three decades. More than 5.69 million people cast ballots out of roughly 7.33 million registered. Exit polls released after polling stations closed and partial counts released overnight showed Netanyahu’s Likud-led bloc and the opposition grouping headed by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot both falling short of the 61 seats required in the 120-member Knesset.
Likud remained the largest single party in every projection. Early counts with more than half the ballots processed gave Netanyahu’s camp around 55 seats at one stage, while Eisenkot’s Yashar party trailed. Arab-led lists, the Joint List and Ra’am, were forecast to take between 16 and 19 seats combined, their strongest showing in years.
Netanyahu told supporters in Jerusalem that the right-wing parties had won a decisive majority among the Zionist public and called for the formation of a strong national right-wing government. He rejected any arrangement that would depend on Arab parties, describing such a partnership as a disgrace. Eisenkot, speaking in Tel Aviv, said the public had voted for change and pledged to assemble a government representing the whole of Israeli society. He warned Netanyahu against using security issues for political ends.
Both camps have publicly ruled out formal coalitions with the Arab parties. The Joint List has indicated it could provide a parliamentary safety net for an anti-Netanyahu government without joining it, while Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas has confirmed contacts from both sides. Analysts note that any viable majority is likely to require either defections from the opposing Jewish parties or some form of external support from the Arab lists.
President Isaac Herzog will soon decide which party leader has the best chance of forming a government. The designated candidate then has 28 days, extendable by a further 14, to negotiate a coalition that can win a confidence vote. Options include a minority administration, a power-sharing arrangement with rotating prime ministers, or a return to the polls if no agreement is reached. Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister in the interim.
The election was the first since the October 7, 2023 attacks and the subsequent wars in Gaza, Lebanon and against Iran. Campaign debate focused heavily on accountability for the security failures of that day, the future of the judiciary, and the direction of Israeli society. Palestine and the occupied territories received limited attention on the campaign trail, though Arab turnout was high and celebrations were reported in several Arab towns after the exit polls appeared.
Partial results continued to shift through the night as more ballot boxes were opened. Final official tallies are expected within days. Until then the two main camps are already positioning themselves for what promise to be protracted coalition talks.
