What is known about Israel’s national election today, as of the time of this report (evening EST), is: First, that today was the highest vote turnout, by far, since 1999, with 77.7% of the electorate voting, no other vote over that period surpassing 72%. Second, a record vote total for Israel’s Arab parties yielded 18 Knesset members. Third, exit polls (not the official tally) show the Netanyahu bloc at 50-51 members and the Eisenkot anti-Netanyahu bloc at 51-52—meaning that neither can govern on its own, falling short of the 61-member majority in the 120-member Knesset. Netanyahu had ruled with a 68-member majority, so a full quarter of his coalition has been rejected by the voters.
At this point, two of the three main exit polls count it as Netanyahu to Eisenkot at 50-52, and the third showing 51-51. Regardless, President Herzog will have to pick one of them to try to form a new government. The Arab bloc of Joint List has 11 members, so either one bloc succeeds in admitting them into the government, or each of the Netanyahu and Eisenkot groups tries to get 9-11 members of the other group to defect and join with its group.
Some in the anti-Netanyahu opposition, led by Gen. (ret.) Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party, have vowed not to form a government with Netanyahu nor with either of the Arab slates. Something will have to give, or down the road a new election will have to be held, with Netanyahu remaining where he is until that happens.
Eisenkot stated: “The public voted for change. The coalition of failure has lost the people’s trust. The Israeli public voted against Netanyahu continuing as prime minister.” He called on Netanyahu to “accept the people’s vote of no confidence” and leave political life, adding that “with turnout this high, holding another election would be a mistake…. I will do everything in my power to form a Zionist government that serves all.” He called on officials in the security establishment and public service to “serve the state and the interests of Israeli citizens alone…. The era of evasion, failure and lies is over. We have shown that this is not one side’s victory over another, but a victory for the entire people of Israel.”
Within Eisenkot’s bloc, there is concern that Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad could be broken away. But tonight Bennett said that B’Yachad will do “everything” and “set aside all ego” to allow for the creation of a “government of ‘doers’ that will manage the country responsibly and serve the entire nation of Israel.” The other B’Yachad leader, Yair Lapid, added: “[T]he state of Israel has saved itself today…. Benjamin Netanyahu and his government collapsed today; this was a total defeat. The people of Israel have won. We are the majority…. Don’t let anyone confuse you: the Netanyahu bloc has suffered a crushing defeat. This is a total collapse and the public has told them to go home.”
Another of Eisenkot’s bloc, Democrats leader Yair Golan, declared that the Israeli public “fired” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. He added: “The people gave us the duty to translate the confidence they gave us into actions—to save Israel. The mandate we received from the public is an operational order to rehabilitate the country.”
Mansour Abbas, the head of the Ra’am party, one of the two Arab blocs, said: “Everyone is speaking with us, not just from the ‘change bloc'.” (That is, the anti-Netanyahu bloc.) He told Channel 12 that figures from the pro-Netanyahu bloc have also approached him. He said that he was willing to join Eisenkot’s bloc but said it must first become clear that such a coalition is viable. Again, parts of Eisenkot’s bloc have declared that they would leave the bloc before joining with an Arab party.
