Israel Election LIVE: 92% Ballots Counted, Netanyahu’s Bloc At 53 Seats, Short Of 61 Majority

JERUSALEM:Israel election count on Tuesday-Wednesday pointed to a hung Knesset, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc in front but still well short of the 61 seats required to govern.

With 92% of ballot boxes counted (93% of ordinary ballots = 85.6% of total votes), Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats, against 48 for the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, while Arab-led parties were projected to win 19 seats a historic high  leaving formation of the next government uncertain.

 Likud remains the largest individual party with 26 seats, followed by Eisenkot’s Yashar! with 21. Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad and Joint List projected at 12 each. The count differed from exit polls which had shown both blocs at 51 each.

Majority Math:

 At least 61 seats are needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset. Neither side has it. Eisenkot’s bloc + Arab parties together have 67 seats, potentially enough to form a government if they overcome differences. Netanyahu has opposed relying on Arab-led parties, while Eisenkot has said Arab and ultra-Orthodox parties would have to meet conditions on national service and dismantling Hamas.

What’s Left:

 The Central Elections Committee said the remaining 7% of ordinary ballots require additional oversight. About 600,000 double-envelope ballots  including votes by soldiers, hospital patients and voters outside their registered stations  remain to be counted over next few days after checks for duplicate voting.

 Three parties are below the 3.25% electoral threshold: Reservists (2.6%), People of Israel (1.6%) and Charedi Public (0.2%).

Reactions:

 Netanyahu has called for a national right-wing government, arguing right-wing parties have a decisive majority among Zionist public. Eisenkot declared, “We made history! The public has voted for change.”

 US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that his endorsement helped Netanyahu recover from a “decisive defeat” to a “big come-from-behind stalemate or even WIN.”

The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange TA-125 index slipped 1.7% and shekel weakened 1% on political uncertainty