Israeli Exit Polls Tie Rivals; Arab Parties Surge — SkimNews
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- Netanyahu’s alliance stood roughly even with Eisenkot’s opposition bloc in updated exit polls after Israelis voted in the largest numbers in a generation; neither side was projected to reach the 61 seats needed to govern.
- Raam and the Joint List were projected by exit polls to win 17 or 18 seats between them, their strongest showing ever, after record Arab-community turnout—a result that made them potential kingmakers despite both major blocs’ reluctance to rely on Arab legislators.
- Likud appeared to take the largest share of votes among individual parties even though the two multiparty alliances were near-even, and earlier exit polls showing a small opposition lead were revised overnight.
- Netanyahu’s bloc campaigned for a more religious Israel and tighter Israeli control of the occupied West Bank and Gaza, while Eisenkot’s alliance promised to repair Israel’s image abroad and crack down on extremist violence against Palestinians.
- Special polling stations at military bases, hospitals, prisons and embassies hosted hundreds of thousands of votes not reflected in exit polls; those votes tended to favor Netanyahu’s coalition in the previous election.
- Livne, acting director of the Central Election Committee, reported no widespread irregularities after Netanyahu accused Arab citizens of “trying to steal the elections” and made overt appeals to anti-Arab prejudice.
- Herzog will invite the party leader he believes has the best chance to assemble a coalition once official totals are released and parliamentary seats allocated, with counting expected to last days.
Why it matters: Neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot can govern without Arab legislators, and a majority requires 61 of 120 seats. Record Arab participation gives Raam and the Joint List leverage, while special-ballot votes absent from exit polls and a multiday count complicate the coalition arithmetic.
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