Israel's Election Ends in Deadlock: Netanyahu and Eisenkot Both Fall Short

Israel held a national election on Tuesday, with exit polls pointing to a tight deadlock between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot. A record 87 percent of eligible Israeli residents cast ballots. Exit polls from major Israeli television networks placed both blocs at roughly 51 seats — well short of the 61 needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset — with Channels 11 and 13 calling the race even and Channel 12 giving the opposition a narrow edge. Arab parties recorded strong gains, with Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas drawing jubilant celebrations from supporters in Sakhnin. Eisenkot declared that "the people have spoken against the continuation of Netanyahu's rule" and pledged to seek a government, while warning Netanyahu not to exploit security concerns for political purposes. Netanyahu, whose Likud was projected as the largest single party, vowed to build "a strong government of the right," urging "the Jewish and Zionist majority" to unite and insisting no government should rely on Arab party backing. He remains caretaker prime minister while coalition talks begin. US President Donald Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One, said his endorsement of Netanyahu had helped him "a lot." Netanyahu in turn said Israel had "a unique opportunity" with Trump to permanently eliminate what he called the existential threat posed by Iran. The likely result is weeks of coalition negotiations, with smaller Arab-led parties potentially holding a kingmaker role.