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.
With roughly 70% of ballots counted, Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud is polling at around 27% and his bloc has accumulated approximately 54 seats — a significant jump from the 50 projected in early exit polls — yet both he and rival Gadi Eisenkot remain far from the 61-seat threshold required to form a government. Turnout reached 77%, the highest figure in more than 25 years, with some voters waiting up to two and a half hours in line at polling stations. Trump posted on Truth Social that his endorsement of Netanyahu "turned the whole tide" after pollsters had written the PM off.
The Arab parties' historic bloc of 17-19 seats now holds the balance of power, with neither main camp able to govern without them or without each other.
Three parties — including Eisenkot's Yashar — filed ballot-tampering complaints, but electoral authorities say there is 'no indication' of systematic interference.
Around 600,000 soldier and absentee ballots, including votes from troops serving in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, are not expected to be counted until Thursday and could yet shift the coalition maths.
