Israel election results live: vote count continues as exit polls suggest no clear winner

The partial count and exit polls offer different snapshots of the same unsettled election. With about half the votes counted, Netanyahu's bloc was projected to win 55 seats. Eisenkot's opposition bloc was on 49, while Palestinian parties were forecast to take 16. Since 61 seats are needed, neither main bloc had a majority.

The exit polls initially showed a closer contest. They put Netanyahu's governing bloc and Eisenkot's opposition grouping on 51 seats each. They also suggested Palestinian parties could win as many as 18 seats, rising from 10. Israeli exit polls are often revised and can be several seats off.

The difference matters because the final result could change the coalition arithmetic. Netanyahu's bloc was leading in the partial count, but still short of 61. Eisenkot's bloc had no clear route to power without Palestinian parties. More votes, including counts from several key towns, were still needed.

The Knesset is Israel's parliament and legislative assembly. The election determines how its 120 seats are distributed among parties and political groupings. Those seats decide which side has enough parliamentary support to govern.

A majority requires 61 seats, because 61 is more than half of 120. For example, the partial count gave Netanyahu's bloc 55 seats, leaving it six short. Eisenkot's bloc had 49, leaving it 12 short. Neither could govern alone on those figures.

That gap makes coalition building central to the election. A bloc below 61 must secure support from other parties to reach the majority threshold. The article identifies Palestinian parties as especially important because their projected 16 seats could provide enough support for Eisenkot's bloc, or strengthen another governing arrangement.

More than 77% of eligible Israeli voters cast ballots. That was the highest turnout in more than two decades, according to the article. The unusually large participation showed how consequential voters considered the election.

The Central Elections Committee said turnout was about seven percentage points higher than in 2022. This was not a small movement at the margins. Millions of voters' choices helped reshape the projected balance between the major blocs and Palestinian parties.

The higher turnout also affected the political picture. Palestinian citizens of Israel produced what the article described as historic turnout, and Palestinian parties were projected to increase their Knesset representation from 10 seats to as many as 18. Even so, the final figures remained provisional while votes were still being counted.

The projected Palestinian seats matter because both main blocs were below the 61-seat governing threshold. The partial count gave Netanyahu's bloc 55 seats and Eisenkot's bloc 49. A party grouping holding the remaining 16 seats could therefore determine whether either side reaches a majority.

For example, Eisenkot's 49 seats plus 16 Palestinian seats would total 65. The exit-poll figures were different, but pointed in the same direction: Eisenkot's bloc had 51, and Palestinian parties could have as many as 18. Those numbers would make Palestinian parties potential coalition partners or supporters.

The article says Eisenkot would be obliged to talk with the Joint List and Ra'am if he fell short. Such negotiations could take weeks. Netanyahu, meanwhile, warned that a government relying on Palestinian parties must not be formed, making their seats central to the political contest.

When no major bloc reaches 61 seats, it must seek backing from other parties. The election therefore moves from counting votes to negotiating an agreement that can command enough support in the Knesset. The article presents this as the likely next stage.

The partial count showed Netanyahu's bloc on 55 seats and Eisenkot's on 49. Eisenkot's opposition bloc had no clear route to power without Palestinian parties. Experts said he would need to sit down with the Joint List and Ra'am and try to form a government.

Those talks could take weeks, and the final arithmetic was not yet settled. More votes still had to be counted, particularly in several key towns. The article does not state what would happen if negotiations ultimately failed; it only says that coalition talks would be needed to try to form a government.

Israeli elections often produce negotiations because parliamentary seats are distributed among multiple parties rather than automatically giving all governing power to the largest party. The key test is whether a bloc can assemble 61 of the Knesset's 120 seats. Winning the most seats is not the same as holding a majority.

This election shows the mechanism clearly. Netanyahu's bloc was projected at 55 seats, while Eisenkot's bloc had 49. Both were leading groupings, but both were short of 61. The projected 16 Palestinian seats could therefore become decisive in building a government.

Coalition talks allow parties with different platforms to combine around a governing arrangement. The article says Eisenkot might need to negotiate with the Joint List and Ra'am, and that talks could take weeks. Netanyahu instead called for a strong right-wing national government and opposed relying on Palestinian parties.

Under proportional representation, parties receive Knesset seats broadly in line with their share of the national vote. This makes it possible for several parties to enter parliament instead of concentrating all seats in one or two parties. The result is a legislature made up of competing blocs.

The election figures show why that matters. Netanyahu's bloc was projected at 55 seats and Eisenkot's at 49, while Palestinian parties could hold 16. Neither main bloc reached 61. The smaller Palestinian groupings could therefore supply the seats needed for a governing majority.

This gives small parties influence beyond their size. They may not lead the election, but their support can decide which larger bloc forms a government. The article says Eisenkot could need talks with the Joint List and Ra'am, while Netanyahu argued against a government relying on Palestinian parties.