Israel election results leave no clear path to a new government

Exit polls released after Tuesday night’s voting in Israel indicate that neither major political bloc has won the 61 seats required to form a governing majority in the Knesset.

The preliminary results point to a fragmented parliament where weeks of negotiation will likely be needed to assemble a coalition and name a new prime minister.

Until that process is complete, Benjamin Netanyahu remains the interim head of government. He is currently the longest-serving prime minister in the country’s history.

Official counts from the Central Elections Committee showed that approximately 40 percent of ballots had been processed by early Wednesday morning.

At that stage, Likud, the party led by Netanyahu, held 21.70 percent of the vote. Yashar, the party led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, held 15.72 percent.

These percentages do not yet translate into final seat counts, but they confirm the stalemate suggested by the exit surveys.

U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the results on Wednesday from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Trump said he had heard that Netanyahu “did pretty well” and disputed the idea that the prime minister was facing defeat. He noted that he had not yet spoken with Netanyahu and called the situation “a little bit early” for a final assessment.

Netanyahu addressed his supporters in Jerusalem past 3 a.m. Wednesday. He claimed that exit polls indicated Likud would be the largest party in the next Knesset.

In his speech, Netanyahu highlighted military achievements over the past three years and pledged to continue the war effort against Iran. He also stated that no government should be formed in reliance on Arab parties.

Arab-led parties performed strongly in the election. If the two main blocs remain tied in seat totals, these parties may hold the balance of power in coalition talks.

Gadi Eisenkot spoke to supporters in Tel Aviv early Wednesday. He described the election as a referendum on Israel’s future leadership and said the public had decided in favor of change. He promised to form a government and usher in an era of hope.