Netanyahu Holds the Line as Likud Keeps a Narrow Edge in a High-Stakes Vote
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With 77% of ballots tallied, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud retains a slim lead over Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party, while Arab-led parties gain ground and coalition negotiations hang in the balance.
Israel's election night drew a very high voter turnout, the highest since 1999, but it still left the country without a clear majority. As of 77% of votes counted, Likud had secured about 20.8% of the vote, keeping it ahead of the centrist Yashar party, which recorded 16.4%, according to the Central Elections Committee. The final seat distribution in the 120-member Knesset will be determined after absentee ballots from military personnel and diplomats are counted.
Netanyahu, who seeks to remain the longest-serving prime minister, rejected any coalition with Arab parties, calling such an alliance "treasonous" and emphasizing the need for a "strong, right-wing, nationalist government." > "We must not endanger Israel and establish a government that relies on anti-Zionist Arab parties," he said.
His main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, indicated openness to working with Arab parties if they recognize Israel as a Jewish state and denounce Hamas as extremist. > "We will form a government and usher in a new era – an era of hope," Eisenkot pledged.
Analysts note that while Netanyahu's coalition appears to have shrunk, Likud remains the largest party and is likely to be tasked by President Isaac Herzog with forming a government, though the president is not bound to appoint the leader of the biggest party. The possibility of a coalition that includes Arab-led parties is politically sensitive, and some opposition figures argue that excluding Arab parties would deepen societal divisions. > "We have no future here if we do not stop being afraid," said Yair Golan of the Democrats party.
If no bloc can assemble a parliamentary majority, Israel may face another election early next year, echoing the series of elections held between 2019 and 2022.