Rivals in Israel Election Strike Tone of Triumph, but Outcome Is Far From Clear — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Israel recorded its largest turnout in a generation, but election authorities had counted only nearly 1 million votes—about one-fifth of the total—by early Wednesday, with the count expected to last days.
- Netanyahu said Likud had emerged as the largest party and called for a “strong right-wing government,” while updated exit polls put his alliance roughly even with Eisenkot’s bloc—one small edge and two ties.
- United Arab List and the left-wing Joint List were projected at a historic 17 to 18 seats combined, creating a potential kingmaker role even though Netanyahu effectively ruled out Arab partners and Eisenkot’s allies balked at the idea.
- Isaac Herzog will invite the party leader he believes has the best chance to assemble a government after seats are allocated; a majority normally needs 61 of 120 lawmakers, while Eisenkot has floated a minority government.
- Hundreds of thousands of votes cast at military bases, hospitals, prisons and embassies were not reflected in exit polls, and such votes tended to favor Netanyahu’s coalition in the previous election.
- Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of abusing the caretaker premiership to influence government formation and warned him not to use Israel’s security for political needs, amid reports that Netanyahu was pushing for renewed attacks on Iran.
- Mansour Abbas said record turnout among Arabs, about 20% of Israel’s population, reflected “frustration and despair” turning into “hope,” with voters angry over Netanyahu’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and discrimination against Palestinians in Israel.
Why it matters: The Arab parties gain unusual leverage: their projected 17-18 seats matter because neither major bloc has the 61 lawmakers needed for a majority, even though both camps resist relying on them. Counting remains only one-fifth complete, and hundreds of thousands of special-station votes are absent from exit polls, leaving the coalition arithmetic unsettled.
Ask SkimNews
