Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed a “clear and decisive majority” among Jewish and Zionist voters, calling for a strong right-wing government as revised election night forecasts tipped in his favor and declaring a “historic” opportunity to work with President Donald Trump to eliminate the Iranian threat.
Netanyahu addressed cheering Likud supporters in Jerusalem after Israel held its first parliamentary election since the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, claiming power despite exit polls showing both his bloc and the opposition falling short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset.
Netanyahu noted that what he called a “clear and decisive majority” for what he called a center-right bloc of Jewish and Zionist voters said the results showed broad support for the government’s commitment to preserving Israel’s status as a Jewish state.
“We must establish a strong national right-wing government,” he said. “That’s what needs to be done.”
Netanyahu’s language comments came after successive revisions to exit polls erased an early advantage for the Jewish-led opposition, with opposition leaders already declaring Netanyahu defeated.
Channel 12’s revised exit poll predicted 52 seats for Netanyahu’s bloc, 50 for the Jewish-led opposition and 18 for Arab parties. Channel 13 and public broadcaster Kan each predicted a 51-51 scoreline between the two main groups, with Arab parties taking the remaining 18 seats.
Pro-Netanyahu broadcaster Channel 14 put his bloc at 60 seats, while i24NEWS put it at 55. None of the five exit polls showed either party gaining a clear majority in parliament.
All five broadcasters consider Likud to be Israel’s largest party, with Channels 11, 12 and 13 allocating 27 seats to the party, ahead of former military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party with 21 or 22 seats.
Netanyahu also took aim at Israeli television networks, accusing them of deliberately underestimating Likud’s support in pre-election polls to discourage voters from casting their votes.
He blamed what he called a “propaganda pipeline” that only allowed Likud to hold 18 or 19 seats, claiming they “knew this was a lie all along.”
Earlier in the evening, Eisenkot urged Netanyahu to accept defeat and withdraw from politics, declaring: “A worthy leader will accept the people’s vote of no confidence and announce his withdrawal from politics today.”
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, whose coalition with opposition leader Yair Lapid is expected to win 12 seats, also declared that “Netanyahu has failed and the government will go home on October 7.”
Netanyahu has strongly opposed any attempt to form an alternative government that relies on Arab parties, whose total representation is expected to increase to about 18 seats as Arab voter turnout surges.
“We must not, absolutely must not endanger Israel by establishing a government that relies on anti-Zionist Arab parties,” Netanyahu warned, accusing these parties of opposing Israel’s existence and supporting Hamas.
Netanyahu also attacked the opposition’s proposed “servicemen’s union”, accusing its leaders of hypocrisy in campaigning against exemptions from military service while considering cooperation with Arab parties whose representatives he said had condemned Israeli soldiers.
He called for unity among Jewish and Zionist political factions, arguing that their cooperation is vital to Israel’s future.
However, the revised forecast leaves both camps facing tough alliance talks. According to Channel 12, the Jewish-led opposition’s 50 seats, combined with the seven projected for Mansour Abbas’ Islam Ram party, would yield only 57 seats – four short of a parliamentary majority.
Eisenkot may seek more support from the Joint List or try to draw parties from Netanyahu’s camp into a broader coalition. Netanyahu’s government will also need more partners, unless the final vote count changes the balance, and a unifying arrangement between the rival camps might offer another path. Failure to secure a viable majority could ultimately force another election.
The unresolved outcome also leaves in doubt the political future of Trump’s preferred Israeli partners, whom the president twice publicly endorsed in the final week of the campaign.
Trump’s support comes as Washington and Jerusalem weigh next steps against Iran after months of military operations that destroyed much of Tehran’s military leadership and capabilities but left the conflict unresolved.
Netanyahu described military actions taken during his administration as changing the regional balance of power, citing the elimination of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the creation of Israeli safe zones in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
“Iran is weaker than ever and Israel is stronger than ever,” Netanyahu declared.
Netanyahu warned, however, that Iran’s weakening position did not mean the threat to Israel was over.
“This will not end as long as this fanatical regime exists,” he said, warning that Tehran would continue to seek Israel’s destruction.
Netanyahu returned to Iran at the end of his speech, warning not to let Israel’s political divisions distract from a rare opportunity to neutralize the threat.
Netanyahu declared: “Israel faces a historic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with our partner, President Trump, to eliminate the existential threat from Iran once and for all.”
“We must not, absolutely must not allow any extraneous considerations to distract us from this sacred mission.”
His comments came amid new reports that Washington is preparing regional partners for the possibility of renewed military action against Iran after the U.S. midterm elections. The White House has not announced any such action.
Despite his powerful speech, Netanyahu acknowledged that the final result was still uncertain, with vote counting continuing across the country and hundreds of thousands of special ballots, including those of soldiers and reservists, still to be counted. He said final results were expected to be announced within the next 48 hours.
Once the results are finalized, President Isaac Herzog will consult with parliamentary factions and then assign the task of forming a government to the MPs he believes are best suited to form a governing coalition.
Netanyahu will remain prime minister until a new government takes office, but his political future depends not only on Likud’s status as Israel’s largest party but also on whether he can secure the parliamentary support he needs to govern.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.