All four channels that released an exit poll put Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud first: 25 seats on Kan 11, 24 on Channel 12, 25 on Channel 13, 30 on Channel 14. Yashar, Gadi Eisenkot’s list, follows with 21, 22, 23 and 19 seats.
## It comes down to blocs
On channels 11, 12 and 13, the change bloc (Yashar, Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad, Yair Golan’s Democrats, Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu) wins 52 seats, Netanyahu’s camp (Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Shas, United Torah Judaism, Religious Zionism) 50, and the Arab parties (Joint List, Ra’am) 18. On Channel 14, Netanyahu’s camp reaches 60, one seat short of a majority, against 43 for the change bloc and 17 for the Arab parties. In all four polls, no one reaches 61.
According to the polls, Ofer Winter’s list and Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha’s stay below 3.25%, at about 2% each on Channel 12: their votes won’t win a single seat.
The change bloc only reaches 61 with the backing of both Arab parties (52 + 18 = 70; with Ra’am alone, 59). Netanyahu’s camp needs 11 more seats from outside its camp, just one according to Channel 14. A national unity government remains possible.
Netanyahu’s camp needs 11 more seats from outside its camp, just one according to Channel 14.
The count runs all night, and more than 650,000 double envelopes (soldiers, diplomats, patients, prisoners) will be counted by Friday. A seat can still flip. Tonight, no one has won: the game goes on, in coalition talks. Follow the count live in the Midbar app.
