Exit Polls Show Deadlock: Neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot Blocs Reach Majority

Television exit polls project a stalemate in Israel's election, with neither bloc reaching the 61-seat threshold needed to form a government.

The Knesset building in Jerusalem, 2018 · Photo: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

According to television exit polls in the election for the 26th Knesset, there is no clear winner between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yashar Party Chairman Gadi Eisenkot, as reported by The Jerusalem Post and CNN. The figures indicate that neither bloc has secured the 61-seat majority required to form a government.

As reported by The Jerusalem Post and Spanish newspaper El País, Netanyahu's bloc is projected to win around 50 seats, while the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot is projected to secure 52 to 53 seats. Meanwhile, Arab parties are projected to win between 17 and 18 seats, further complicating efforts by both sides to assemble a governing coalition.

Official ballot counting is underway, and final results have not yet been released.