First Israeli election exit polls show narrow edge for opposition

Israeli elections saw high turnout, with many voters perceiving them as decisive for the nation's future. As voting concluded on Tuesday, the first exit polls revealed the opposition bloc holding a slight advantage over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's team, but falling short of securing an outright majority in the 120-member Knesset.

The leading pollsters, Channels 11, 12, and 13, forecast the opposition to secure between 52 and 53 seats, while Netanyahu's coalition would capture 50 seats. However, Netanyahu's Likud party would retain the largest single-party count in the parliament, with 24 to 25 seats.

Israeli Arab parties experienced an uptick in voter participation, resulting in gains for the two Arab-majority groupings, Raam and the Joint List, which together won 17 or 18 seats. In the previous election, Likud had emerged victorious with 32 seats, enabling it to assemble a coalition with smaller far-right parties after Netanyahu's traditional allies refused to cooperate due to corruption allegations.

This time around, mainstream right-wing parties pledged to collaborate with Eisenkot's Yashar party, projected to garner 21 to 23 seats, to form an opposition coalition capable of unseating Netanyahu.

The initial exit poll outcomes indicated a profound lack of trust in Netanyahu and the October 7 government, according to Eisenkot. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid emphasized that Netanyahu's bloc had suffered a "crushing defeat," while left-wing leader Yair Golan stated that the public had "fired" the Netanyahu administration.

Although Raam and the Joint List do not constitute part of the opposition coalition, they have indicated their willingness to back it. Tuesday's poll was characterized by a high voter turnout, with many expressing the belief that it was pivotal for the country's future.