Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared victory on Tuesday in Israel’s third election in less than a year, after television exit polls showed him just a seat short of a governing majority in parliament.
The Jerusalem Post reports that Netanyahu succeeded in winning 60 seats for his bloc of right-wing and religious parties in Monday’s election, one less than he needed for a majority in the Knesset, according to exit polls on the three television networks.
It adds that the first polls indicated that Netanyahu’s Likud won 36-37 seats. Its allies in Shas, UTJ and Yamina won 9, 7-8 and 6-7 respectively. The polls showed Blue and White with 33 seats, its ally Labor-Gesher-Meretz 6-7, the Joint List 14-15 and Yisrael Beytenu 6-8.
The Times of Israel reports that in the Joint List’s election headquarters in the northern city of Shfaram erupts in expressions of joy after Channel 12 updates its exit poll, giving the alliance of the four largest Arab-majority parties an unprecedented 15 seats in the Knesset.
Earlier in the night, Channel 13 pollster Camil Fuchs hinted on Channel 13 News that in his opinion, Monday night’s exit poll “will be one of the most interesting we’ve ever had.”
“It will be very interesting. We’re seeing things we hadn’t thought about,” Fuchs said, hinting that the polls in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party had a slight lead against Blue and White were less accurate than had been expected.
Al Jazeera reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gained seats in Israel’s election on Monday, according to early exit polls that put him almost within grasp of a right-wing governing coalition. But it was unclear whether Netanyahu can clinch a parliamentary majority needed to claim victory.
Exit polls on Israel’s main TV channels projected Netanyahu’s Likud Party and its religious and nationalist allies would capture 60 seats, leaving it one seat short of the majority needed to claim victory. Netanyahu’s Likud Party won about 37 seats, ahead of his rival Benny Gantz of the centrist Blue and White alliance, according to media channels. The early results came after a hard-fought campaign for the country’s third election in less than a year.
Al Jazeera, Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, Times of Israel
