Israeli Election Polls Show No Clear Majority, Opposition Claims Disbelief in Netanyahu
Translated & summarized from Channel 13 by baba
Exit polls for Israel's 2026 elections show no bloc securing a majority, with the Likud party projected as the largest single party. Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yishar party, stated the results indicate "absolute distrust" in Prime Minister Netanyahu's government and vowed to seek its replacement. Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid also claimed Netanyahu's bloc suffered a "severe defeat." The fragmented results suggest complex coalition negotiations ahead.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israeli election exit polls indicate no bloc has secured the 61 seats needed for a majority.
- Gadi Eisenkot stated the results show "absolute distrust" in Prime Minister Netanyahu's government.
- The Likud party is projected as the largest single party with 24-25 seats in most polls.
- The "change bloc" leads Netanyahu's bloc by a narrow margin in the exit poll projections.
- Yair Lapid declared Netanyahu's bloc suffered a "severe defeat" and the public wants them out.
Exit polls released Tuesday evening for the 2026 elections indicate that no single bloc has secured the 61 seats required for a majority in the Knesset. The Likud party emerged as the largest single party in most polls, with projections ranging from 24 to 25 seats. The Yishar party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, followed closely with 21 to 23 seats.
Eisenkot stated that the initial results reflect "absolute distrust in Netanyahu and the October 7th government," adding that if these are the final results, it signifies a victory for the "state-national-Zionist majority." He pledged to "immediately act to implement the people's decision, to replace the Netanyahu government, and to establish a Zionist conscription government as soon as possible."
Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, number two in the Bachad party, declared that Netanyahu's bloc "suffered a severe defeat" and that the public has "told them to go home." The polls suggest a lead for the "change bloc" with around 53 seats, compared to approximately 50 seats for Netanyahu's bloc. Arab parties collectively garnered between 17 and 18 seats across the different polls.
Other parties projected to enter the Knesset include Naftali Bennett's Bachad party with 14 seats, the Joint List with 10 seats, Yair Golan's Democrats with 9 seats, and Israel Beiteinu, United Torah Judaism, and Ra'am each with 7 seats. Shas, Otzma Yehudit, and Religious Zionism were projected to receive 6 seats each. The parties Amcha Yisrael, led by Ofer Winter, and The Reservists and the Economic, led by Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zehlicha, did not appear to pass the electoral threshold.
Discrepancies were noted between the polls from Channel 13, Channel 12, and Channel 11 regarding the exact seat allocations for several parties and the overall bloc totals, though all indicated a fragmented political landscape without a clear majority.
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