No clear winner in Israeli parliamentary election, exit polls suggest

{"text":[[{"start":11.52,"text":"A far-right coalition led by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a bloc of Jewish opposition parties centred around Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar were neck-and-neck in exit polls after Tuesday’s pivotal election."}],[{"start":25.52,"text":"Polls and early results suggest neither group has a clear path to build a ruling coalition in Israel’s parliament."}],[{"start":32.208,"text":"The vote, the first since Hamas’s October 7 2023 attack, is seen by many in Israel as the most important in its history, pitting Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist grouping against a largely secular and politically eclectic opposition."}],[{"start":47.299,"text":"The exit polls projected Netanyahu’s Likud party would be the largest in the 120-seat Knesset even as the majority of voters backed his rivals, with an unexpected surge in support for Arab parties, including the Islamist Ra’am. Exit polls in previous Israeli elections have not always been accurate and the final results may take several days to tally."}],[{"start":67.442,"text":"With just over 40 per cent of the ballots counted at 6am in Israel, Netanyahu’s Likud was poised to win 28 seats, against 21 for Eisenkot’s Yashar, according to tallies published by Israeli media. Netanyahu’s rightwing bloc hovered close to the 57-seat mark — still four short of a majority. These results often change as more ballots are counted."}],[{"start":89.28,"text":"Netanyahu claimed “a significant, decisive majority in the Jewish camp” early on Wednesday and called on his Zionist rivals to join him in forming a “national, rightwing government”."}],[{"start":100.265,"text":"He urged Eisenkot and his allies to shun the Arab parties, which exit polls suggest may have a record 18 or 19 seats, up from 10 in the outgoing parliament. Under the current projections, neither bloc can reach a simple majority of 61 seats without their support."}],[{"start":115.886,"text":"“It is simply forbidden that we should endanger Israel and establish a government that leans on Arab parties that are anti-Zionist, parties that actually object to our actual existence, that support Hamas, and who are calling our soldiers murderers and war criminals,” Netanyahu said."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":130.24,"text":"The two blocs were deadlocked at 51 seats each according to two exit polls and Netanyahu’s faction was ahead by three seats in the third, all but guaranteeing weeks of political haggling ahead. The official results will depend in part on whether various smaller parties clear the 3.25 per cent electoral threshold to secure representation in the Knesset."}],[{"start":152.48,"text":"Eisenkot said the exit polls pointed to an “absolute lack of confidence in Netanyahu and the government responsible for October 7”."}],[{"start":161.275,"text":"“A worthy leader would accept the people’s vote of no confidence and announce his retirement from political life today,” Eisenkot said, adding that he would do “everything possible respect the will of the people” and form a government."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":174.48,"text":"However, whether Eisenkot is able to do so is expected to depend on the extent to which Yashar and the other Jewish opposition parties are prepared to co-operate with Israel’s Arab parties to form a government."}],[{"start":186.995,"text":"Both the Joint List, which unites three Arab parties and was forecast to win 11 to 12 seats, and the Islamist Ra’am party, which was predicted to win seven, have indicated they are prepared to help oust Netanyahu and his coalition, which is widely regarded as the most rightwing in Israeli history."}],[{"start":204.409,"text":"But key figures in Eisenkot’s bloc, such as the hawkish former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman and former prime minister Naftali Bennett, have said they would not be prepared to join a government that is dependent on Arab parties."}],[{"start":218.56,"text":"Miki Zohar, the culture minister and a Likud member, said late on Tuesday that if Eisenkot, Lieberman and Bennett tried to form a government with the Arab parties, “it will be the end of their political careers”."}],[{"start":228.08,"text":"Lieberman also urged members of Likud to defect, arguing this would allow the Jewish opposition to form a “true” rightwing government."}],[{"start":236.673,"text":"Inconclusive election results in the past have hampered decision-making, such as between 2019 and 2021. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, who will oversee post-election attempts at forming a coalition, has said he will attempt to avoid such an outcome. But if no politician can command a majority in the Knesset, fresh elections will have to be called."}],[{"start":257.93,"text":"Oil prices rose in Asia trading on Wednesday, with Brent crude, the international benchmark, up 1.3 per cent at $115.30, after earlier reaching $116."}],[{"start":270.4,"text":"Data visualisation by Martin Stabe in London and Haohsiang Ko in Hong Kong"}],[{"start":284.56,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1793163542_9683.mp3"}