Gadi Eisenkot’s centre-right bloc holds a fragile lead in Israel’s most consequential vote in years, initial projections from Channels 11, 12, and 13 showed. The opposition is projected to command 52 to 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, narrowly surpassing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s alliance, which includes the far-right. Likud remains the largest single party with 24 or 25 seats, but the math leaves Netanyahu short of the 61 votes needed to rule alone.
Turnout reached nearly 75 percent by 8:00 pm, the highest recorded in decades. The surge reflects a desperate mood among 7.3 million eligible voters, many returning from abroad to cast ballots. Eilana Zisblit, 55, flew from Canada where she has lived for 30 years, to vote for a party in Eisenkot’s bloc. “The country is going in a really, really bad direction,” she told AFP outside her polling station. “The time to act is now, or the country really won’t survive anymore.”
Netanyahu, who has served as prime minister on and off for 19 years, spent the day warning of an existential threat from Israeli Arab voters. He claimed on social media that three senior United Arab List officials were arrested with envelopes of cash, alleging a coordinated effort to “steal the election.” Dean Livne, the acting director general of the Central Elections Committee, clarified that police caught individuals near their homes, not at polling stations, describing it as a localized case under investigation. Mansour Abbas, head of the United Arab List, accused Netanyahu of “lying and inciting” to mobilize his base.
The Arab minority emerged as the pivotal kingmaker in this fractured result. Early exit polls indicate the two main Arab lists will win 17 or 18 seats between them, a massive jump from the 10 seats they held in the 2022 election. This shift grants them leverage in the coalition talks that will define the next government. Eisenkot, a former military chief and political novice, campaigned on a platform of security and accountability, contrasting his “mild manner” with Netanyahu’s divisive rhetoric. Before voting, Eisenkot paid respects at the grave of his son Gal, who died fighting in Gaza, a detail that resonated deeply with a nation still grappling with the trauma of October 7, 2023.
The political landscape is now defined by isolation and legal jeopardy. Netanyahu faces an international arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over the Gaza war, alongside domestic corruption charges that could land him in prison. Israel’s diplomatic standing has deteriorated due to the war in Iran, operations in Gaza, and settlement expansion in the West Bank. With the dust settling on Tuesday’s vote, the focus shifts immediately to the grueling negotiations ahead. Eisenkot and Netanyahu will have days, not weeks, to forge a stable majority before the Knesset convenes to decide the next government.