Israel exit polls put Netanyahu-led bloc ahead as Opposition trails, but no clear majority

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is locked in a tight electoral contest with opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot in the country’s first election since the October 7 Hamas attacks. Exit poll projections suggest a neck-and-neck contest, setting the stage for tense coalition negotiations to determine who will form the next government.Supporters of former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, react following national election exit polls at his party headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel. (REUTERS)Exit polls show Netanyahu’s Likud in the lead with 27 projected seats. Along with the rest of his bloc, he is projected to win 52 seats. The main opposition party, Eisenkot’s Yashar, is trailing with 21 projected seats, while his bloc is expected to win 49 seats overall. Follow LIVE updates on Israel electionsHowever, according to partial results, with 25.2% of votes counted at 7:30am IST, the Central Elections Committee projected the pro-Netanyahu bloc bagging 63 seats and the anti-Netanyahu bloc 49. The remaining eight seats are held by the nonaligned Joint List of Arab factions, according to the Times of Israel. The results are partial and will change as counting continues.Arab parties Joint List and Raam are projected to win a record 19 seats – the largest Arab representation ever, according to exit polls. Both have said they’d support Eisenkot on some level, having rallied supporters to help oust Netanyahu and prevent a new term they believe would be existential, according to Bloomberg.Arab voter participation appeared to rise significantly compared with previous elections, CNN reported.Netanyahu, Eisenkot vow to form govtIn his first remarks after the exit poll projections, Netanyahu said the results showed his bloc retained the support of a “decisive majority among the Zionist and Jewish public” and vowed to form a new government, even as his coalition appeared to fall short of a parliamentary majority.He added that no leader should govern with the support of Israeli Arab parties, which has made significant gains."We must put in place a strong government of the right," Netanyahu told cheering supporters. The Jewish and Zionist majority must unite," he said. "It is out of the question to have a government that is backed by Arab parties,” he said, according to AFP.Also Read: In pitch for alliance, Netanyahu hails ‘once-in-a-lifetime historic opportunity’ to eliminate Iranian threat with Trump's helpHe concluded his speech by saying “Israel will stay forever”.“I would like to say to all the citizens of Israel. Yes, we were able to confront and defeat our enemies and we can do the same in the future. We are the lions. The roaring lions. And those who did not hear Israel’s voice in the past will hear it, and it doesn’t lie.”Meanwhile, Eisenkot, speaking to his own supporters in Tel Aviv, issued a veiled warning to Netanyahu."Netanyahu, don't you dare use Israel's security for your political needs," Eisenkot said.Addressing Israel's security establishment, Eisenkot said that they served the state and not Netanyahu, calling him "a caretaker prime minister, without a mandate or the people's trust".First elections after Oct 7 attacksWhile the final results are expected to be announced on October 30, Netanyahu faces a tough challenge in the first election since the 2023 Hamas attacks. He has faced scrutiny from the opposition over security failures, his policies towards Palestinians and Israel’s growing international isolation.Netanyahu has opposed an investigation into the October 7 attacks and blamed the military for the security failures that day. His opponents, however, say he must be held accountable for the security failures that occurred under his leadership and have called for a commission of inquiry.Israel’s electoral system requires parties to cross a 3.25% vote threshold to enter the Knesset. According to current projections, Netanyahu’s bloc is projected to collapse from 68 seats in the Knesset to 52, CNN reported, citing the exit poll from Channel 12 News.