JERUSALEM (The Thursday Times) — Updated exit polls early on Wednesday showed Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc drawing level with the opposition at 51 seats each, wiping out the opposition’s earlier lead, shortly after Gadi Eisenkot told supporters that Israel was “starting a new era”.
Channel 13’s updated exit poll put both blocs on 51 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, with Arab-led parties on 18. The public broadcaster Kan’s updated poll also showed a 51-51 tie, with Netanyahu’s Likud rising two seats to 27, well ahead of every other party, and Eisenkot’s Yashar falling one to 21. Neither bloc is near the 61 needed for a majority. These are exit polls, not results; the first projections had given the opposition a lead of two or three seats.
‘The old era is over’
Speaking at Yashar’s headquarters in Tel Aviv before the updated figures, Eisenkot said Israelis had “voted for change against Netanyahu”, that his government had “lost the confidence” of the public and that voters were “tired of lies”. He pledged to work with partners to form a government representing all of society and said a second election would be “a mistake” after such a high turnout.
“This will be a new start. A real new start on a new path. The old era is over, and Israel is starting a new era,” he said, promising mandatory military service for everyone. He also warned that “Netanyahu must not use Israel’s security for his political considerations”.
Both sides claim the edge
Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, called Eisenkot’s address a premature victory speech and predicted that Netanyahu would also claim victory, since both men need to project strength to President Isaac Herzog, who will choose who gets the first chance to form a government. Netanyahu, who insists Likud did not lose, was expected to address supporters shortly. More than 60,000 Israelis living abroad were estimated to have flown home to vote.
Analysts see a Netanyahu-Eisenkot unity government as unlikely: Eisenkot rose on a promise to end Netanyahu’s rule, and Netanyahu’s corruption trial complicates any partnership. Official results are expected by Wednesday evening. Read how Netanyahu is working to stop Likud defections and what happens next.
