Netanyahu's bloc defies exit polls to pull ahead in Israel's vote count while still falling short of a 61-seat majority
Supporters of Benjamin Netanyahu at a rally during Israel's general election, as the highest turnout since 1999 left roughly 600,000 military absentee ballots uncounted and no winner declared.Arab parties surged to a projected record 18 or 19 seats, complicating any Gadi Eisenkot-led coalition that has been reluctant to depend on their backing.
Israel's election — its first since the October 7 attacks — has ended in a deadlock, with around 70% of ballots tallied and 600,000 votes still to be counted. Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc holds 54 seats against 47 for the main opposition and 19 for Arab parties, leaving neither side anywhere near the 61 seats required to form a government. Trump posted on Truth Social that his endorsement of Netanyahu "turned the tide," describing the outcome as "a big come-from-behind stalemate, or even a WIN." No final result is expected before Thursday.
Arab-led parties have emerged as surprise kingmakers, with their seat count nearly doubling to around 18 — though both main blocs have ruled out any governing arrangement with them.
Eisenkot told supporters Israelis had grown 'sick with the culture of lies' and called on Netanyahu to withdraw from politics entirely.
A prolonged deadlock may well serve Netanyahu's interests, as it could allow him to continue as caretaker prime minister through extended coalition negotiations or until another election is held.
