TEL AVIV, Israel — Israelis turned out in exceptionally high numbers Tuesday for the country’s first national election since the Oct.7, 2023, Hamas massacre, with initial exit polls showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud emerging as the largest party but his governing coalition falling short of a parliamentary majority, potentially opening the door to a change in leadership.The projections released by Israel’s three major television networks after polls closed at 10 p.m.
local time (4 p.m.ET) showed Likud winning 25 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, compared with 23 seats for former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party in Channels 12 and 13 exit polls, and 21 seats according to Kan 11.The projected parliamentary balance showed 50 seats for Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc, 53 for the main opposition parties and 17 for Arab parties, leaving neither major bloc with the 61 seats generally needed to form a government.Although Netanyahu’s party is projected to remain the largest in parliament, his political future is far from secure.
The opposition parties, together with the Arab factions, would hold a combined 70 seats, although that does not mean they would necessarily agree to form a government together.FORMER ISRAELI ARMY CHIEF GADI EISENKOT EMERGES AS NETANYAHU’S LEADING ELECTION CHALLENGERA polling station in Herzliya, Israel, on Oct.27, 2026, as Israelis head to the polls in the country's first national election since the Oct.
7, 2023, Hamas massacre.(Efrat Lachter)The results set the stage for potentially weeks of coalition negotiations, with the possibility that Netanyahu could lose power despite Likud finishing first.The results are preliminary projections, not an official vote count, and could change as ballots are tallied in the coming days.The election followed an extraordinary day at polling stations across Israel, with long lines and voter participation reaching levels not seen in decades.Israeli voter tu...