29.10.2026 16:04
In the first exit polls announced after the general elections in Israel, parties supporting Netanyahu are expected to win 50 seats, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot is expected to win 52 seats. Despite the picture in which Netanyahu's coalition appears to be behind, a striking statement came from Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Ben-Gvir argued that the right wing is very close to forming a government.
A right-wing government message came from Ben-Gvir despite the picture revealed by the polls. Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, stating that the right wing is very close to forming a government, made an optimistic assessment regarding the election results.
STATEMENT FROM BEN-GVIR CONTRARY TO THE POLLS
As the first exit polls were announced after the elections in Israel, the race for seats between the ruling power and the opposition drew attention. Initial estimates showed that the Likud Party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ahead in the election race, but the coalition formed by parties supporting Netanyahu could not reach a majority in parliament. Despite this picture, Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir argued that the right wing was close to forming the new government. In his statement regarding the election results, Ben-Gvir used the following expressions: "The right wing is very close to forming a right-wing government."
NETANYAHU'S PARTY AHEAD, HIS COALITION BEHIND
According to the first exit polls reported by Israel's state television, the Likud Party led by Netanyahu is ahead in the election race when evaluated alone. However, a different picture emerges in the calculation based on the blocs formed by the parties. The opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot is expected to surpass the coalition formed by parties supporting Netanyahu. Nevertheless, the opposition also cannot reach the number of seats required to form a government.
OPPOSITION AT 52, NETANYAHU COALITION AT 50 SEATS
The first exit polls predict a striking distribution for Israel's 120-seat parliament, the Knesset. According to estimates, the bloc formed by parties opposed to Netanyahu wins 52 seats, while parties supporting Netanyahu win 50 seats. With the difference between the two blocs being only two seats, neither side can reach the support of 61 lawmakers required to form a government. This picture makes it difficult to make a clear assessment on forming a government before the election results are finalized. Ben-Gvir's right-wing government statement also came at a time when this uncertainty continued.
PARTIES REPRESENTING PALESTINIAN CITIZENS IN KEY POSITION
In the seat distribution revealed by the first exit polls, the position of parties representing Palestinian citizens in Israel also gained importance. The fact that neither the Netanyahu coalition nor the opposition bloc can reach a majority on its own increases the weight of other parties in the government formation process. Parties representing Palestinian citizens may come to a decisive position in the formation of the new government.