Israel election: Netanyahu bloc leads with more than half of votes counted but short of majority

The camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ahead of the opposition on Wednesday after 50% of votes were counted in Israel's pivotal general election, figures from the Central Elections Committee showed.

Netanyahu's bloc was projected to win 56 of the 120 seats in the parliament, compared with 49 for the opposition bloc and 15 for the Arab parties.

The partial results are likely to change, and several exit polls showed the camps neck-and-neck without a majority.

Initial exit polls suggested no clear victor, with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and main rival Gadi Eisenkot falling short of a majority.

Israel's Channel 13 news initially projected the opposition bloc would have the edge with 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, with Netanyahu's bloc set to win around 50.

The three mainstream Israeli television networks later gave the two blocs each around 51 seats.

Netanyahu's Likud party would be the largest single party, with 27 seats.

Israeli Arab lists were projected to win 15 seats, a sharp gain, with some Israeli Arab communities reporting near-universal turnout driven by outrage to often derogatory rhetoric against them by Netanyahu's far-right allies.

Key Israeli Arab leader Mansour Abbas said he believed the right had "suffered a major loss" and was open to working with Eisenkot.

But Eisenkot said during the campaign he would not govern with Israeli Arab lawmakers -- and Netanyahu again suggested that a government relying on Arab votes would lack legitimacy.

Arab lawmakers could give Eisenkot support in parliamentary votes to maintain a minority government without joining a coalition. If not, Israel could head to new elections.

Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right firebrand who according to exit polls did not gain as much as many expected, warned Netanyahu against another option -- a unity government with Eisenkot.

"It would be a terrible mistake," said Ben Gvir, who champions the expulsion of Palestinians and would likely be excluded from any unity government.

In a post on X, Eisenkot said the exit poll results showed a "complete lack of confidence in Netanyahu and the October 7 government."

Yair Golan, the leader of Israel's left-wing Democrats party, added that the public had "spoken" and "ousted the Netanyahu government."

But Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar warned that celebrations from the left were "premature."

"One thing seems quite clear: The Likud is the largest party in Israel," he wrote on social media.

Netanyahu and Eisenkot each claim mandate

At an appearance early Wednesday, Netanyahu was upbeat and already trying to position himself to remain prime minister, listing off military achievements of the past three years.

He called on his opponents to line up behind him and dismissed the idea of a partnership with Arab parties — whose constituents make up 20% of Israel's population — as treasonous.

"We must establish a strong, right-wing, nationalist government," said Netanyahu, who was facing off in the vote against his former military chief, centrist Gadi Eisenkot. "We must not endanger Israel and establish a government that relies on anti-Zionist Arab parties."

"Israel has a unique opportunity with our partner President Trump to forever eliminate the existential threat of Iran," Netanyahu said.

Eisenkot, speaking to his own supporters in Tel Aviv, issued a veiled warning to Netanyahu, who observers say could use a war to push for a unity government.

"Netanyahu, don't you dare use Israel's security for your political needs," Eisenkot said.

Addressing Israel's security establishment, Eisenkot said that they served the state and not Netanyahu, calling him "a caretaker prime minister, without a mandate or the people's trust".

Turnout for the election - Israel's first since Hamas' 7 October 2023 attacks - hit over 77%, according to Israel's Central Elections Committee.

Netanyahu had spent much of the day calling on supporters to get out and vote, painting the election as a "matter of life and death."

The vote is widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu's leadership.