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| Israel Elections Live Updates: Netanyahu Is on Track for Victory | Israel Elections Live Updates: Netanyahu Is on Track for Victory |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in position to win a fourth consecutive term on Wednesday, with nearly all of the votes counted. But the race was extremely tight, and his main rival, Benny Gantz, had also claimed victory, though he later tempered expectations. | • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in position to win a fourth consecutive term on Wednesday, with nearly all of the votes counted. But the race was extremely tight, and his main rival, Benny Gantz, had also claimed victory, though he later tempered expectations. |
| • When the ballots are fully counted, it will be up to President Reuven Rivlin to choose the party leader he believes has the best chance of assembling a parliamentary majority. Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party and Mr. Gantz’s Blue and White alliance were running neck and neck, but a count of the broader blocs supporting each party gave Likud a clear advantage in being able to form a governing coalition. | • When the ballots are fully counted, it will be up to President Reuven Rivlin to choose the party leader he believes has the best chance of assembling a parliamentary majority. Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party and Mr. Gantz’s Blue and White alliance were running neck and neck, but a count of the broader blocs supporting each party gave Likud a clear advantage in being able to form a governing coalition. |
| • Regardless of the final result, the election appeared to be a grave scare for Mr. Netanyahu, 69, who has led Israel for a decade of relative security and prosperity. More than a million Israelis voted for Blue and White, a record for a new party, placing it in the position of being the main alternative to Israel’s right wing, a spot held for decades by the Labor Party. | • Regardless of the final result, the election appeared to be a grave scare for Mr. Netanyahu, 69, who has led Israel for a decade of relative security and prosperity. More than a million Israelis voted for Blue and White, a record for a new party, placing it in the position of being the main alternative to Israel’s right wing, a spot held for decades by the Labor Party. |
| Four right-wing and religious parties had publicly pledged by Wednesday morning to support Mr. Netanyahu in his bid to form Israel’s next governing coalition. Those commitments, if they hold, leave him just one seat short of a parliamentary majority and a fourth consecutive term in office. | Four right-wing and religious parties had publicly pledged by Wednesday morning to support Mr. Netanyahu in his bid to form Israel’s next governing coalition. Those commitments, if they hold, leave him just one seat short of a parliamentary majority and a fourth consecutive term in office. |
| The four parties — Kulanu, the Union of Right Wing Parties, and the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism — are projected to win a combined 25 seats. Together with the 35 seats that Mr. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party is projected to win, such a coalition would have 60 seats in the 120-seat Parliament. | The four parties — Kulanu, the Union of Right Wing Parties, and the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism — are projected to win a combined 25 seats. Together with the 35 seats that Mr. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party is projected to win, such a coalition would have 60 seats in the 120-seat Parliament. |
| Also among what Mr. Netanyahu terms his “natural partners” is the hard-line Yisrael Beiteinu party, led by Avigdor Lieberman, which is projected to take five seats. | Also among what Mr. Netanyahu terms his “natural partners” is the hard-line Yisrael Beiteinu party, led by Avigdor Lieberman, which is projected to take five seats. |
| The party has joined coalition governments led by Mr. Netanyahu in the past, but Mr. Lieberman was holding out on Wednesday, saying he was waiting for the final tally of votes, including the ballots of soldiers, prisoners and hospital patients that are to be counted later this week. | The party has joined coalition governments led by Mr. Netanyahu in the past, but Mr. Lieberman was holding out on Wednesday, saying he was waiting for the final tally of votes, including the ballots of soldiers, prisoners and hospital patients that are to be counted later this week. |
| Mr. Lieberman served as foreign affairs minister and then defense minister under Mr. Netanyahu, but resigned from the government in November, complaining of a soft policy toward Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza. | Mr. Lieberman served as foreign affairs minister and then defense minister under Mr. Netanyahu, but resigned from the government in November, complaining of a soft policy toward Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza. |
| A spokesman for Yisrael Beiteinu, Aryeh Vishenski, reiterated the party’s campaign message that it would only join a coalition that would allow a proper “fight against terrorism in the south,” enact a law to draft ultra-Orthodox males into the military and introduce a pension overhaul — particularly to help elderly immigrants, one of its core constituencies. — ISABEL KERSHNER | A spokesman for Yisrael Beiteinu, Aryeh Vishenski, reiterated the party’s campaign message that it would only join a coalition that would allow a proper “fight against terrorism in the south,” enact a law to draft ultra-Orthodox males into the military and introduce a pension overhaul — particularly to help elderly immigrants, one of its core constituencies. — ISABEL KERSHNER |
| President Reuven Rivlin will decide whether to invite Mr. Netanyahu to form a governing coalition, though the two men have made little secret over the years of their mutual loathing. The president’s office said Wednesday that he would begin consulting party heads next week to gauge their choices for prime minister. | President Reuven Rivlin will decide whether to invite Mr. Netanyahu to form a governing coalition, though the two men have made little secret over the years of their mutual loathing. The president’s office said Wednesday that he would begin consulting party heads next week to gauge their choices for prime minister. |
| In what the office described as a “historic and pioneering decision,” it plans to broadcast those meetings live “in the name of transparency.” That move may offer Mr. Rivlin protection from possible barbs from Mr. Netanyahu if the process does not go as the prime minister would like. | In what the office described as a “historic and pioneering decision,” it plans to broadcast those meetings live “in the name of transparency.” That move may offer Mr. Rivlin protection from possible barbs from Mr. Netanyahu if the process does not go as the prime minister would like. |
| [Here is a guide to The New York Times’s coverage of the Israeli election.] | [Here is a guide to The New York Times’s coverage of the Israeli election.] |
| The origins of the animosity between the president and prime minister are unclear, but it burst into the open when Mr. Rivlin, a veteran of Mr. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party and a former speaker of Parliament, was running for the presidency in 2014. | The origins of the animosity between the president and prime minister are unclear, but it burst into the open when Mr. Rivlin, a veteran of Mr. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party and a former speaker of Parliament, was running for the presidency in 2014. |
| So determined was Mr. Netanyahu to thwart Mr. Rivlin’s candidacy that he tried to recruit Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate, for the job — even though Mr. Wiesel, who has since died, was not an Israeli citizen at the time. When that failed, Mr. Netanyahu floated the idea of abolishing the largely ceremonial office. | So determined was Mr. Netanyahu to thwart Mr. Rivlin’s candidacy that he tried to recruit Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate, for the job — even though Mr. Wiesel, who has since died, was not an Israeli citizen at the time. When that failed, Mr. Netanyahu floated the idea of abolishing the largely ceremonial office. |
| Mr. Rivlin, 79, has spoken out forcefully against the government’s attempts to curb the independence of the courts and the media, and what he called a lack of “statesmanship” under Mr. Netanyahu. — ISABEL KERSHNER | Mr. Rivlin, 79, has spoken out forcefully against the government’s attempts to curb the independence of the courts and the media, and what he called a lack of “statesmanship” under Mr. Netanyahu. — ISABEL KERSHNER |
| Palestinian leaders said the election results endorsed an indefinite Israeli occupation of the West Bank, human rights abuses there, and growing encroachment on Palestinian lands. | Palestinian leaders said the election results endorsed an indefinite Israeli occupation of the West Bank, human rights abuses there, and growing encroachment on Palestinian lands. |
| In an appeal to voters on the far right, Mr. Netanyahu, who has backed Jewish settlements in the West Bank that much of the world considers illegal, vowed on Saturday to go a step further, annexing them and possibly other territory into Israel. | In an appeal to voters on the far right, Mr. Netanyahu, who has backed Jewish settlements in the West Bank that much of the world considers illegal, vowed on Saturday to go a step further, annexing them and possibly other territory into Israel. |
| “Israelis have voted no to peace and yes to apartheid,” Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Council, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Regrettably, Israelis overwhelmingly voted for candidates that are unequivocally committed to entrenching the status quo of oppression, occupation, annexation and dispossession in Palestine and escalating the assault on Palestinian national and human rights.” | “Israelis have voted no to peace and yes to apartheid,” Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Council, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Regrettably, Israelis overwhelmingly voted for candidates that are unequivocally committed to entrenching the status quo of oppression, occupation, annexation and dispossession in Palestine and escalating the assault on Palestinian national and human rights.” |
| Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian peace negotiator, wrote on Twitter that Israelis “have said no to peace and yes to the occupation.” | Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian peace negotiator, wrote on Twitter that Israelis “have said no to peace and yes to the occupation.” |
| Palestinians and independent analysts say Israeli encroachment into the occupied territory has dimmed hopes for creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. And in Israeli politics, there is little remaining support for a “two-state solution.” — RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA | Palestinians and independent analysts say Israeli encroachment into the occupied territory has dimmed hopes for creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. And in Israeli politics, there is little remaining support for a “two-state solution.” — RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA |
| The election claimed two prominent conservative casualties: Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennett of the New Right party, which apparently failed to clear the threshold for any seats in Parliament. | The election claimed two prominent conservative casualties: Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennett of the New Right party, which apparently failed to clear the threshold for any seats in Parliament. |
| Mr. Bennett said on Wednesday that he hoped that New Right would gain enough votes to keep him in Parliament once the ballots of tens of thousands of soldiers — along with those of hospital patients, prison inmates and merchant seamen — are counted on Friday. | Mr. Bennett said on Wednesday that he hoped that New Right would gain enough votes to keep him in Parliament once the ballots of tens of thousands of soldiers — along with those of hospital patients, prison inmates and merchant seamen — are counted on Friday. |
| “I was always a soldier of the state,” he wrote on Twitter, whether in the military, in business or in government, where he was a cabinet minister during the 2014 Gaza conflict. “Now the soldiers will decide where I will continue to fight for them.” | “I was always a soldier of the state,” he wrote on Twitter, whether in the military, in business or in government, where he was a cabinet minister during the 2014 Gaza conflict. “Now the soldiers will decide where I will continue to fight for them.” |
| In November, Mr. Bennett sought to be named defense minister, but the prime minister turned him down. | |
| The New Right broke away from a more established right-wing party, aiming to free itself of the influence of ultra-Orthodox rabbis and more extremist elements in the pro-settler community. But it defined itself by what it was not, rather than what it was, and its election ads were widely seen as sophomoric. | The New Right broke away from a more established right-wing party, aiming to free itself of the influence of ultra-Orthodox rabbis and more extremist elements in the pro-settler community. But it defined itself by what it was not, rather than what it was, and its election ads were widely seen as sophomoric. |
| “They were rising stars with a solid base of support, which they abandoned,” said Tal Shalev, a political reporter for Walla, a news site. | “They were rising stars with a solid base of support, which they abandoned,” said Tal Shalev, a political reporter for Walla, a news site. |
| Mr. Bennett and Ms. Shaked had expected to compete with Mr. Gantz for support from the center-right. Instead, those voters appeared to turn to other parties on the right, believing Mr. Netanyahu’s dire warnings that a Gantz victory would mean a return to left-wing government. | Mr. Bennett and Ms. Shaked had expected to compete with Mr. Gantz for support from the center-right. Instead, those voters appeared to turn to other parties on the right, believing Mr. Netanyahu’s dire warnings that a Gantz victory would mean a return to left-wing government. |
| Ms. Shaked, the justice minister, is highly popular among Likud activists, many of whom see her as a future prime minister, but Mr. Bennett is less so, meaning their paths are likely to diverge if they do not return to Parliament. — DAVID M. HALBFINGER | Ms. Shaked, the justice minister, is highly popular among Likud activists, many of whom see her as a future prime minister, but Mr. Bennett is less so, meaning their paths are likely to diverge if they do not return to Parliament. — DAVID M. HALBFINGER |
| Having claimed victory after the first wave of exit polls, only to see later results appear to hand the election to Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Gantz, 59, wrote to supporters on Wednesday morning sounding at once less bullish but still hopeful. | Having claimed victory after the first wave of exit polls, only to see later results appear to hand the election to Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Gantz, 59, wrote to supporters on Wednesday morning sounding at once less bullish but still hopeful. |
| “Reports tell an unfinished story,” he said in a midmorning message. “Yes, odds may not seem in our favor but two things are missing: The first is certainty, as there is still a possibility of electoral shifts that will allow us to engage in various political endeavors. | “Reports tell an unfinished story,” he said in a midmorning message. “Yes, odds may not seem in our favor but two things are missing: The first is certainty, as there is still a possibility of electoral shifts that will allow us to engage in various political endeavors. |
| “The second is, without doubt, recognition of the great hope we delivered to the Israeli people and society,” he continued. “Our voters asked for hope and we gave it to them. They wanted a different path and we carved it out for them. We will not stand down from our civil duty to represent over a million citizens who searched for an alternative. | “The second is, without doubt, recognition of the great hope we delivered to the Israeli people and society,” he continued. “Our voters asked for hope and we gave it to them. They wanted a different path and we carved it out for them. We will not stand down from our civil duty to represent over a million citizens who searched for an alternative. |
| “We have a historic achievement under our belt. We have a reason to be proud, and so we will.” | “We have a historic achievement under our belt. We have a reason to be proud, and so we will.” |
| Mr. Gantz, a retired lieutenant general and former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, had reached out for allies across the political spectrum and sought to make Mr. Netanyahu’s expected indictment on corruption charges the main issue in the race. | Mr. Gantz, a retired lieutenant general and former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, had reached out for allies across the political spectrum and sought to make Mr. Netanyahu’s expected indictment on corruption charges the main issue in the race. |
| The tight nature of the race meant many Israelis went to bed on Tuesday suspended in a post-ballot twilight zone: The exit polls of the three main television channels were sufficiently disparate that both sides claimed victory. | The tight nature of the race meant many Israelis went to bed on Tuesday suspended in a post-ballot twilight zone: The exit polls of the three main television channels were sufficiently disparate that both sides claimed victory. |
| “This is a night of tremendous victory,” Mr. Netanyahu said just after 2 a.m., at a celebration where a crowd cheered him and chanted, “Bibi, king of Israel.” “I believe that the Lord and history have given the people of Israel another opportunity, a golden opportunity to turn our country into a strong nation, among the strongest nations of the world.” — DAVID M. HALBFINGER | “This is a night of tremendous victory,” Mr. Netanyahu said just after 2 a.m., at a celebration where a crowd cheered him and chanted, “Bibi, king of Israel.” “I believe that the Lord and history have given the people of Israel another opportunity, a golden opportunity to turn our country into a strong nation, among the strongest nations of the world.” — DAVID M. HALBFINGER |
| Likud and Blue and White appeared to have won at least 35 seats each in the 120-seat Parliament, and by Wednesday morning, based on nearly complete results. On Wednesday evening, the Central Elections Committee will begin the remaining votes, cast primarily by people serving in the military. | Likud and Blue and White appeared to have won at least 35 seats each in the 120-seat Parliament, and by Wednesday morning, based on nearly complete results. On Wednesday evening, the Central Elections Committee will begin the remaining votes, cast primarily by people serving in the military. |
| The action will then shift to the official residence of Mr. Rivlin, and his meetings with a parade of party leaders. The president will then ask the candidate he thinks has the best chance of forming a government to do so. | The action will then shift to the official residence of Mr. Rivlin, and his meetings with a parade of party leaders. The president will then ask the candidate he thinks has the best chance of forming a government to do so. |
| That candidate will have 42 days to try to forge a coalition with the support of at least 61 seats in the 120-seat Parliament. | That candidate will have 42 days to try to forge a coalition with the support of at least 61 seats in the 120-seat Parliament. |
| That is likely to be Mr. Netanyahu. The right-wing and religious parties were on track to win 65 seats. | That is likely to be Mr. Netanyahu. The right-wing and religious parties were on track to win 65 seats. |
| [Mr. Netanyahu is in position to surpass the nation’s founding leader, David Ben Gurion, as Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.] | [Mr. Netanyahu is in position to surpass the nation’s founding leader, David Ben Gurion, as Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.] |
| “For the first time in Israel’s history the president’s role may be more than symbolic, and he may have to exercise judgment in choosing who will form the next government,” Yohnan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, wrote on Twitter. | “For the first time in Israel’s history the president’s role may be more than symbolic, and he may have to exercise judgment in choosing who will form the next government,” Yohnan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, wrote on Twitter. |
| That prospect has alarmed Mr. Netanyahu, whose relationship with Mr. Rivlin, a Likud veteran, has long been one of deep, mutual loathing. “Legally, Rivlin can give the task of forming the government to whoever he wants,” said Abraham Diskin, a professor emeritus of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. | That prospect has alarmed Mr. Netanyahu, whose relationship with Mr. Rivlin, a Likud veteran, has long been one of deep, mutual loathing. “Legally, Rivlin can give the task of forming the government to whoever he wants,” said Abraham Diskin, a professor emeritus of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. |
| [See our guide to the Israeli elections.] | [See our guide to the Israeli elections.] |
| In most cases, the party with the largest number of seats is given the first crack at forming a government. In 2009, Tzipi Livni’s Kadima Party won the most votes but failed to build a viable coalition. Mr. Netanyahu, whose Likud party came in second, was tasked with forming the government. — DAVID M. HALBFINGER | In most cases, the party with the largest number of seats is given the first crack at forming a government. In 2009, Tzipi Livni’s Kadima Party won the most votes but failed to build a viable coalition. Mr. Netanyahu, whose Likud party came in second, was tasked with forming the government. — DAVID M. HALBFINGER |
| Early analysis showed a historically low turnout among Arab citizens of Israel, many of whom boycotted the vote out of disillusionment with Israeli politics and with their own politicians. | Early analysis showed a historically low turnout among Arab citizens of Israel, many of whom boycotted the vote out of disillusionment with Israeli politics and with their own politicians. |
| By nightfall Arab leaders were frantically trying to rally their supporters, mosques were broadcasting appeals from minaret loudspeakers, and a last-minute surge of participation seemed to materialize in some predominantly Arab towns, though that was not captured in exit polls. | By nightfall Arab leaders were frantically trying to rally their supporters, mosques were broadcasting appeals from minaret loudspeakers, and a last-minute surge of participation seemed to materialize in some predominantly Arab towns, though that was not captured in exit polls. |
| Among Arab voters, where a boycott movement appeared to be having a strong effect, the haranguing was especially intense. | Among Arab voters, where a boycott movement appeared to be having a strong effect, the haranguing was especially intense. |
| “The right is planning to crush the Arab parties, it wants to erase us off the political arena,” Mtanes Shehadeh, a spokesman for the struggling Ram-Balad party, wrote in a WhatsApp message to supporters. “This is Netanyahu’s dream.” — DAVID M. HALBFINGER | “The right is planning to crush the Arab parties, it wants to erase us off the political arena,” Mtanes Shehadeh, a spokesman for the struggling Ram-Balad party, wrote in a WhatsApp message to supporters. “This is Netanyahu’s dream.” — DAVID M. HALBFINGER |