JERUSALEM (The Thursday Times) — Benjamin Netanyahu told cheering supporters early on Wednesday that Likud was Israel’s largest party and that the right-wing bloc had won “a decisive majority”, as updated exit polls swung back towards the prime minister and put his camp narrowly ahead of Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition.
“What we’ve seen is that the Likud party is the largest party – nobody can compete with us,” Netanyahu said at Likud’s headquarters, according to Al Jazeera. “The second thing that is clear as well is that the right bloc has a majority. And it is a decisive majority.” He called for a “national right-wing government” and accused Israeli television channels of trying to keep his supporters at home by projecting stronger results for the opposition.
He also dismissed any government that relied on Arab parties, calling such a coalition “shameful”, and claimed Iran was “weaker than ever” and Israel “stronger than ever” after his government’s strikes.
Where the numbers stand
Channel 12’s updated projection gave Netanyahu’s bloc 52 of the Knesset’s 120 seats against 49 for the Eisenkot-led opposition, with Arab-led parties on 19. Channel 13 had earlier shown the two blocs tied at 51. Both networks put Likud on 27 seats, well clear of Eisenkot’s Yashar on 21. Neither bloc is near the 61 needed to govern, and these remain exit polls; preliminary official results are expected later on Wednesday.
A few hours earlier, Eisenkot had told his own supporters that “the old era is over” and that Israelis had voted for change. Democrats leader Yair Golan said voters had “fired the Netanyahu government”, while far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir both celebrated their parties’ showings, Smotrich vowing to keep expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank.
What comes next
Turnout was 77.7 per cent, the highest since 1999. Once the count is final, President Isaac Herzog will consult party leaders and task the candidate with the best chance of forming a government. If no coalition emerges, Netanyahu stays on as caretaker. Read our explainer on what happens next.
