Israel vote ends in 51-51 tie

Israeli voters left polling stations on Tuesday with the Knesset split down the middle.

Exit polls from the country's major television networks indicate that Benjamin Netanyahu's governing bloc and the opposition grouping led by Gadi Eisenkot have secured 51 seats each. This number falls short of the 61 seats required to form a majority coalition. Earlier projections released on Tuesday evening had Eisenkot holding a slight lead, but the final estimates suggest a deadlock. Analysts note that these polls are often revised and can swing by several seats as the final count comes in.

The results point to a major shift for Palestinian parties. Projections suggest they could win as many as 18 seats, a jump from the 10 they held previously. If Eisenkot cannot secure a majority, he would be compelled to negotiate with the Joint List and Ra'am. Such talks could take weeks. Eisenkot also has the option to form a minority government, relying on informal, vote-by-vote agreements to maintain his coalition.

Netanyahu addressed supporters at a rally in Jerusalem just after 3 a.m. on Wednesday. He stated that official results would confirm Likud as the largest party in Israel. He argued that the country needs a strong, right-wing national government and insisted that a coalition relying on Palestinian parties should not be formed.

In Tel Aviv, Eisenkot told cheering crowds that the public had voted against Netanyahu's leadership. He said a worthy leader would have accepted the vote of no confidence and announced his retirement from politics that day. Eisenkot warned Netanyahu not to use Israel's security for political ends, citing fears that the prime minister might launch a new attack on Iran during this period of uncertainty.

The polls were released after the Central Elections Committee rejected a last-minute request by Netanyahu and other parties to keep voting stations open past the 10 p.m. deadline. Netanyahu suggested publicly that the left and Arab parties were trying to steal the election. The committee rejected that claim, stating it had seen no evidence of systematic tampering.