Netanyahu accuses opposition of hypocrisy over haredi draft law amid coalition talks
Netanyahu accused Eisenkot and the opposition bloc of courting haredi parties despite their previous opposition to legislation regulating haredi military service.
Netanyahu accused Eisenkot and the opposition bloc of courting haredi parties despite their previous opposition to legislation regulating haredi military service.
Initial voting results gave his political bloc a 53-50 or 52-50 lead over the Netanyahu bloc according to Channels 11, 12, and 13, even as Netanyahu edged Eisenkot in head-to-head competition.
With Likud emerging as the largest party but Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc ahead in the initial exit polls, the president faces a difficult decision over who should be given the first opportunity.
The results put B’Yachad broadly in line with pre-election expectations, although its projected support remained well below the 24 seats Yesh Atid won independently in the November 2022 election.
The projections would give the two parties combined either 18 or 19 seats in the 120-member Knesset, compared with their five seats each in the outgoing parliament.
Yisrael Beytenu, led by Avigdor Liberman, is projected to win seven seats in the next Knesset, according to data from Israel's Central Elections Committee.
Israeli election exit polls project eight seats for Yair Golan's Democrats, potentially more than doubling the party's parliamentary representation as coalition negotiations loom.