Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party has secured an early lead in the national parliamentary election, capturing more than 24 percent of the vote according to initial tallies. The partial results, reported by the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, follow the counting of 30 percent of the total ballots cast, as confirmed by the Central Elections Committee.
Following the Likud party, the Yashar party, led by former army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, holds 16 percent of the vote. The Together alliance, under the leadership of former prime minister Naftali Bennett, sits in third place with 8.8 percent. Additionally, the Joint List has secured 5.9 percent, while the United Arab List, known as Ra'am, is currently at 2.75 percent. Authorities have cautioned that these partial figures do not yet determine the final distribution of seats within the 120-member Knesset.
Broadcaster projections have remained inconsistent throughout the counting process. An earlier revised exit poll from Channel 12 suggested 52 seats for Netanyahu's right-wing bloc, 49 for the opposition alliance headed by Eisenkot, and 19 for Arab parties. Conversely, updated exit polls from Israel's public broadcaster and Channel 13 indicated a deadlock, projecting 51 seats for each of the two main blocs and 18 for Arab parties. None of the current projections have granted either camp the 61 seats required to establish an absolute parliamentary majority.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the parliamentary makeup, voter engagement has been significant. The Central Elections Committee confirmed a national voter turnout of 77.7 percent, representing the highest participation rate in an Israeli national election since 1999.
