Netanyahu bloc leads Israel election with 75% of votes counted

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc is leading in the country’s closely contested election, with nearly 75 per cent of votes counted, while the alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot is in second place.

Partial results cited by Al Jazeera and The Times of Israel showed Netanyahu’s bloc projected to win 54 seats in the 120-member Knesset, compared with 48 for Eisenkot’s alliance. Arab parties are projected to secure 18 seats.

Netanyahu’s Likud party is leading among individual parties, with a projected 27 seats, followed by the Yashar party with 21. Other parties are also competing for seats as vote counting continues.

Several parties have yet to cross the 3.25 per cent electoral threshold required to enter parliament. These include Reservists, with 2.7 per cent of the vote; People of Israel, with 1.7 per cent; and Haredi Public, with 0.2 per cent.

The partial results could change as counting continues, including ballots cast by military personnel and those submitted in double envelopes.

Israel’s 120-seat parliament requires at least 61 seats to form a government. No single party has ever secured a parliamentary majority, making coalition negotiations central to government formation.

Voting ended at 10pm local time on Tuesday, after which counting began. Official results were expected to be announced on November 4, while exit polls remained preliminary projections rather than final results.