Israel Election Stalemate Continues as 70% of Votes Counted

With 70.7% of the votes counted, preliminary results show Netanyahu's Likud party leading with 27 seats, followed by Eisenkot's Yashar! bloc with 20 seats. The current distribution places the coalition at 54 seats and the opposition bloc at 47 seats, preventing a swift government formation. Several smaller parties, including Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelicha's Reservists and Economic Party and Ofer Winter's Amcha Israel, are projected to fall short of the 3.25% electoral threshold.

While Prime Minister Netanyahu declared early on Wednesday that the right-wing bloc had secured a clear majority, this claim was made when only 40% of the votes had been counted. Initial exit polls had suggested Netanyahu was nearing defeat, but the overnight vote count altered the picture. High turnout among Arab citizens was a significant factor in the shifting results, with commentator Lior Shlein noting their strong desire to be part of the country.

Meanwhile, the Haredi press outlet JDN reported that the high turnout affirmed the country's Jewish identity, defying pre-election polls. The outlet criticized left-wing and centrist factions, including Naftali Bennett and Yair Golan, for prioritizing partnerships with Arab parties over religious Jewish ones, asserting that attempts to diminish the representation of religious communities had failed.