Exit polls indicate no clear winner in Israeli elections
Israeli parliamentary elections on Tuesday resulted in a virtual deadlock for a fourth time in the past two years, exit polls indicated, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an uncertain future and the country facing the prospect of continued political gridlock.
The exit polls on Israel’s three main TV stations indicated that both Netanyahu and his religious and nationalist allies, along with an anti-Netanyahu group of parties, both fell short of the parliamentary majority required to form a new government. That left Naftali Bennett, leader of the small nationalist Yamina party, as the potential kingmaker, though even that was not certain.
The election was seen as a referendum on Netanyahu’s polarizing leadership style, and the initial results showed that the country remains as deeply divided as ever, with an array of small sectarian parties dominating the parliament.
The results also signaled a continuing shift of the Israeli electorate toward the right wing, which opposes concessions in peace talks with the Palestinians, highlighted by the strong showing of an ultranationalist anti-Arab religious party.
Despite the inconclusive results, Netanyahu claimed his Likud party had claimed a “great victory” with fellow rightwing parties.
“It is clear that a clear majority of Israeli citizens are right wing, and they want a strong and stable right-wing government that will protect the economy of Israel, security of Israel and land of Israel. This is what we will do,” he said on Facebook.
Exit polls have often been imprecise in the past, meaning the final results, expected in the coming days, could still shift the balance of power. Even if the final results are in line with Tuesday’s exit polls, there is no guarantee that Netanyahu will succeed in putting together a coalition.
Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, said that the initial exit polls indicated the elections were still a very close call.
Even though Netanyahu, who is in the middle of a corruption trial, might manage to build a narrow government, he did not get a license “to overhaul the constitutional makeup of the state,” Plesner said.
“All three options are on the table: a Netanyahu-led government, a change coalition that will leave Netanyahu in the opposition, and an interim government leading to a fifth election,” he said.
Several right-wing parties have vowed never to sit in a government with Netanyahu. And Bennett, a former Netanyahu ally turned harsh critic, refused to endorse either side during the campaign.
Bennett shares Netanyahu’s hard-line nationalist ideology and would seem to be more likely to ultimately join the prime minister. But Bennett has not ruled out joining forces with Netanyahu’s opponents.
In a speech to his supporters, Bennett said he would promote right-wing values in the next government but failed to endorse Netanyahu and even took several veiled swipes at the prime minister’s leadership style.