Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition is ahead of the opposition bloc after more than half of the votes have been counted, according to data published by the Israeli Election Committee and Hebrew media on Wednesday, the day after legislative elections in which the outgoing prime minister is fighting for his political survival .
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With 85.6% of the votes counted, the results showed that Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party and its allies had won 53 seats out of 120 in the Knesset, compared to 48 for the opposition bloc and 19 for the Arab parties.
These partial results could change dramatically, as several exit polls have shown a very close race between the two camps, with neither achieving a parliamentary majority.
Any camp needs at least 61 seats out of 120 in the Knesset to form a government to succeed Netanyahu’s government, which has been in place since late 2022.
Any bloc needs at least 61 seats out of 120 in the Knesset to form a government to succeed Netanyahu's government, which has been in place since late 2022.
In this context, Netanyahu claimed on Wednesday that his right-wing bloc enjoys a “clear and decisive majority” in the Knesset elections, and called for the formation of a “strong nationalist right-wing government.”
This came in a speech delivered by the Likud party leader before a gathering of his party’s supporters in the occupied city of Jerusalem.
Netanyahu, who has been wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip since 2023, said: “We are still waiting for the actual results. Likud is the largest party.”
He claimed that “the right-wing bloc enjoys a clear and decisive majority among the Zionist public and the entire Jewish public.”
He continued: “We must form a strong right-wing nationalist government, and we must not form a government that relies on anti-Zionist Arab parties.”
For his part, Gadi Eisenkot, in a speech to his supporters in Tel Aviv, issued a veiled warning to Netanyahu, who observers believe may exploit the state of war to push for the formation of a national unity government.
“Don’t you dare exploit Israel’s security to serve your political interests,” Eisenkot told Netanyahu, likely referring to his threats to launch new strikes against Iran.
In a letter addressed to the Israeli security establishment, Eisenkot stressed that they serve the state, not Netanyahu, whom he described as a “caretaker prime minister who lacks a mandate and the confidence of the people.”
In contrast, Israeli left-wing leader Yair Golan called on his allies in the opposition to cooperate with Arab parties to oust Netanyahu.
Golan said “We must no longer accept the racist division practiced by Netanyahu between Jewish and Arab votes.”
He added, “We have a responsibility, and we have an opportunity to form a government of change in partnership with the Arab citizens of Israel.”
Tibawi: We extend our hands to the Change Bloc to oust the Netanyahu-Ben-Gvir government
Arab member of the Israeli Knesset , Ahmad Tibi , said on Wednesday that the “Joint List,” which he heads, is extending its hand to the Change bloc in order to oust the government of Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
In a statement, Tibawi added that “the massive vote by Arab (Palestinian) citizens is a historic achievement for the Joint List, which responded to the public’s call for unity and proved that it is a decisive force without which there can be no change.”
He continued: “We extend our hands towards the desired change by removing Netanyahu’s Ben-Gvir government, which will begin by ousting the Speaker of the Knesset (Parliament), Amir Ohana.”
On Wednesday morning, Tibi told his supporters at a rally in the town of Taybeh in central Israel: “They tried to disqualify the Joint List, they tried to cut off the electricity (to polling stations), they tried to disrupt the voting, but your voice was the loudest.”
He added: “The criminal Ben-Gvir will not be the Minister of Police, and his day has come,” according to a video distributed by his office.
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