Exit polls<\/a><\/span> varied widely when polling stations closed at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, with Channel<\/i> 14 projecting 30 Knesset seats for Likud, compared with 24 and 25 in projections by Channel 12<\/i> and Channel<\/i> 13<\/i>, respectively. Channel 14<\/i> projected 60 seats for Netanyahu\u2019s bloc, while other exit polls showed a stronger performance by the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot.<\/p>\nChannel 12<\/i>\u2019s exit poll had projected 50 seats for Netanyahu\u2019s bloc, 52 for the opposition and 18 for the Arab parties, whereas Channel 13<\/i>\u2019s had projected 50 seats for Netanyahu\u2019s bloc, 53 for the opposition and 17 for the Arab parties.<\/p>\n
Exit polls are often revised as votes are counted, while surplus-vote agreements between parties can also affect final seat totals. The counting of double-envelope ballots\u2014cast by soldiers, evacuees and other eligible voters voting outside their regular polling stations\u2014is expected to continue into Thursday. The final tally is expected by Friday.<\/p>\n
\u2018Likud is the largest party\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n
Netanyahu on Tuesday night hailed the results of the vote, saying it showed beyond any doubt that the \u201cLikud is the largest party in Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you remember how the propaganda channels manipulated public opinion? Likud\u201418 seats, 19 seats\u2014they knew all along that it was a lie,\u201d Netanyahu said, referring to surveys published by various Israeli news channels.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey tried to discourage you, simply discourage you, from going to the polls. That\u2019s what happened here. Well, the first thing that has become unequivocally clear is that Likud is the largest party in Israel. There is no disputing that,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
The second thing that has become clear, according to the premier, \u201cis that the right-wing bloc has a clear, overwhelming majority among the Zionist public, among the Jewish public, and among all those who support a Jewish state.\u201d<\/p>\n
Netanyahu stated, \u201cAnd that is why I said, and I say again, that we must establish a strong national right-wing government … We must not, absolutely must not, put Israel at risk by forming a government that relies on anti-Zionist parties\u2014parties that oppose our very existence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar said in an X post on Tuesday night that \u201cthe left\u2019s celebration is premature.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe certainties of biased commentators are ludicrous,\u201d Sa\u2019ar, a Knesset candidate for the Likud Party, wrote in Hebrew.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing is reasonably clear: Likud is the biggest party in Israel,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
In his post, Sa\u2019ar shared archival footage of Menachem Begin, Likud\u2019s founder and its first prime minister. In it, Begin is seen urging patience with results on the eve of the party\u2019s historic 1977 breakthrough election victory.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Eisenkot claimed that initial exit polls amounted to \u201ca complete vote of no confidence\u201d in Netanyahu and his government.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf these are the final results, this is a victory for Israel\u2019s statist Zionist majority,\u201d Eisenkot wrote on X in Hebrew.<\/p>\n
He pledged to act immediately to carry out \u201cthe people\u2019s decision,\u201d replace Netanyahu and form a \u201cZionist conscription government\u201d as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
Next steps<\/b><\/p>\n
Once the official results are published on Nov. 4, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will consult party leaders before tasking the lawmaker he believes is best positioned to form a government with doing so.<\/p>\n
That need not be the leader of the largest party, meaning Netanyahu is not guaranteed the opportunity.<\/p>\n
Although no Israeli government has ever been formed by a minority coalition immediately after an election, Eisenkot told Ynet<\/i> on Oct. 10 that he would seek to lead one if he fell short of a parliamentary majority, necessarily relying on the tacit outside support of Arab parties.<\/p>\n
The government-formation process follows a timetable set by law. The first candidate Herzog designates receives 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to form a coalition. If he or she is unsuccessful, the president can assign another candidate 28 days. If that attempt also fails\u2014or the president determines there is no possibility of forming a government\u2014a coalition of at least 61 MKs have 21 days to request that the president designate an alternative candidate. That candidate then has 14 days to form a government.<\/p>\n
Failure to establish a government would trigger another election approximately 90 days later. Herzog has pledged to try to avoid that outcome, declaring: \u201cI really, truly will do all I can so there won\u2019t be repeat elections.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some 7.33 million Israelis were eligible to vote on Tuesday, according to Israeli Central Elections Committee figures dated Sept. 6. That is an increase of 543,177 since the previous election in 2022.<\/p>\n
Some 330,000 young Israelis were eligible to vote for the first time.<\/p>\n
A total of 12,018 regular polling stations opened nationwide at 7 a.m. and closed at 10 p.m.<\/p>\n
Election Day in Israel is a national holiday, with schools, kindergartens and most workplaces expected to close. Voters choose party lists<\/a><\/span> rather than directly electing a prime minister. Lists must receive at least 3.25% of valid votes to enter the Knesset.<\/p>\nMilitary voting began<\/a><\/span> on Oct. 21 at Israel Defense Forces bases and outposts across operational arenas, including in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Eligible Israeli diplomats serving abroad and their family members began voting<\/a><\/span> on Oct. 15.<\/p>\nThe vote for the 26th Knesset marked the Jewish state\u2019s first general election since the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.<\/p>\n
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