Nahost: Netanjahu baut bei Wahl Vorsprung aus - aber ohne Mehrheit

According to Israeli media reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc has expanded its lead in the Israeli parliamentary elections, which have yielded 37% of the votes cast. However, the bloc has yet to secure a clear majority. Current estimates show Netanyahu's camp holding 57 out of the 120 seats in the Knesset, giving them a 10-seat advantage over the opposition led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot.

Netanyahu's Likud party is reported to be the strongest force with 28 parliamentary seats, followed by Eisenkot's Middle Party, which has secured 21 seats. The formation of a government is expected to be challenging. The Arab parties currently hold 16 seats combined, and Eisenkot would need their support to form a government, but several opposition parties have so far declined to cooperate.

In contrast, Netanyahu has called for the formation of a strong right-wing government without the participation of Arab parties. Immediately after the polls closed, all three major Israeli television networks initially predicted that the opposition camp would lead over Netanyahu's coalition. However, a few hours later, the situation changed, and Netanyahu's camp gained ground during the night.

His coalition, which primarily relied on right-wing extremist and ultra-orthodox parties, had previously received 64 seats in the last election in late 2022. Past elections have shown that the dynamics can change until all votes are counted.