TEL AVIV — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu performed better than predicted in a close election Tuesday, finishing in a virtual tie with his main opponent, Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog, according to exit poll results reported by Israel’s three largest television news stations.
TEL AVIV — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu overcame a strong challenge in Israel’s parliamentary elections Tuesday to finish in a virtual tie with his main opponent, Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog, according to exit poll results reported by Israel’s three largest television news stations.
After the initial exit poll results were announced, Netanyahu declared victory on Twitter. He said that “against all odds,” his Likud party and the nationalist camp had secured a “great victory.” He added that he has already begun to call potential coalition partners.
After the initial exit poll results were announced, Netanyahu declared victory on Twitter. He said he has already begun to call potential coalition partners about forming a new government.
But his victory declaration could prove premature, analysts cautioned. A final count of actual votes may not be completed until Thursday. If the returns track the exit polling, it could mean that either Netanyahu or Herzog may be called upon to form the next government — though it appeared that Netanyahu might have a slight edge in forming a coalition from the top 11 parties.
“Against all odds, we achieved a great victory,” Netanyahu later told his supporters in a packed hall in Tel Aviv at around 1 a.m. Wednesday. “Now we have to form a strong and stable government.”
Exit surveys released immediately after the polls closed here at 10 p.m. (4 p.m. EDT) showed Netanyahu and his Likud party drawing 27 or 28 seats in the next parliament, against the 27 forecast for the Zionist Union alliance of Herzog and his running mate, former peace negotiator Tzipi Livni.
The crowd chanted, “No unity government!”
A coalition of Arab parties, called the Joint List, emerged in third place, according to the exit polls.
Netanyahu called the results “a miracle” and said his fellow Likud members were “magicians.”
The election results could spell days or weeks of wheeling and dealing before a new Israeli government is formed — and the party with the most votes may not be the one that leads a new governing coalition.
But Herzog said Netanyahu’s victory declaration was premature. “This result enables us to return to power,” he told his supporters. “We’re going to wait for the true results. Every result right now is an exit poll. Everything is still open.”
It was also possible that both Herzog and Netanyahu would be pressed to form a national unity government that would include both parties.
Exit surveys released immediately after the polls closed here at 10 p.m. (4 p.m. EDT) showed Netanyahu and his rightist Likud party drawing 27 or 28 seats in the next parliament, against the 27 forecast for the center-left Zionist Union alliance of Herzog and his running mate, former peace negotiator Tzipi Livni.
A coalition of Israeli Arab parties, called the Joint List, emerged in third place, according to the exit polls.
A final count of actual votes may not be completed until Thursday, but exit polls in Israel are viewed as good predictors of eventual results.
If the returns track the exit polling, it could mean that either Netanyahu or Herzog may be called upon to form the next government — though it appeared that Netanyahu might have an edge in building a coalition from the top 11 parties that drew enough votes to seat their candidates in parliament.
Turnout was high. Almost 72 percent of eligible voters went to the polls.
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In a hall filled with Likud activists, raucous celebrations and chants of “Bibi, Bibi, Bibi,” Netanyahu’s nickname, greeted announcements of the exit polling.
But the Zionist Union remained defiant. “The right-wing bloc has shrunk. Everything is open until the final results are in when we will know which parties crossed the electoral threshold. All the spin is premature.”
Netanyahu and Likud appeared to come up from behind. The last round of pre-election opinion surveys on Friday showed Likud trailing Herzog’s alliance by three or four seats.
Pundits were beginning to write the first drafts of Netanyahu’s political obituary. Reporters asked him in interviews what he planned do in retirement.
In the last five days, Netanyahu took to the airwaves, warning repeatedly that Herzog and the left were going to turn over land to the Palestinians and divide Jerusalem in half.
The virtual tie according to exit polls surprised many ordinary Israelis. The electorate here has been trending rightward for years.
“Israelis said very clearly ‘yes’ today to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Likud to continue to lead the country,” said Likud party leader Silvan Shalom, who was confident that Netanyahu would succeed in forming the next government.
“We are willing to form a new coalition in a short time with our allies,” Shalom said.
“This is a big surprise, but it’s a big victory for the Likud,” said Likud member Danny Danon, a former deputy defense minister. “This is a win for the right, and all my friends on the left need to acknowledge this win,” he said.
Israeli President Rueven Rivlin will now ask party leaders to come to his residence and signal to him whom they want to lead the next coalition government. He said Tuesday night that he would press for a government of national unity combining Labor and Likud.
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Amid the indications so far of a virtual dead heat, there could be days or weeks of wheeling and dealing to come before a new Israeli government is formed — and the party with the most votes may not be the one that leads a new governing coalition. It all depends on which party can piece together a puzzle from factions of the left, right and center — including parties that represent ultra-Orthodox Jews.
It was also possible, if neither Herzog nor Netanyahu could put together a governing coalition, that they could be forced to form a national unity government — as Rivlin advocated.
“It is far from clear what the outcome is,” said Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute. “Both may try to form a government.”
“It is far from clear what the outcome is,” said Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute. “Both may try to form a government.”
Likud party leader Silvan Shalom said it would be Netanyahu and Likud who would succeed in forming the next government. “Israelis said very clearly ‘yes’ today to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Likud to continue to lead the country,” he said.
Abraham Diskin, a political science professor at Hebrew University, said that Netanyahu and Likud did appear to have a slight edge in forming a coalition. “But nothing is certain,” he said. “Israel is full of surprises.”
“We are willing to form a new coalition in the short time with our allies,” Shalom said.
A leader of the Labor Party, Nachman Shai, conceded that Netanyahu may have an easier time forming a government, but he said it was too soon for either side to declare victory — “though we both will.”
Abraham Diskin, a political science professor at Hebrew University, said that Netanyahu and Likud did appear to have a slight edge in forming a coalition from the top 11 parties that appear to have won enough votes to get into parliament.
“But nothing is certain,” Diskin said. “Israel is full of surprises.”
A leader of the Labor party, Nachman Shai, said it was too soon for either side to declare victory — “though we both will.”
Shai agreed that Netanyahu may have a slight edge in the coalition calculations, but he said it was still possible that Herzog and Likud would be able to put the puzzle together.
“I just advise everyone to wait 24 or 48 hours, just wait and see,” Shai said.
“I just advise everyone to wait 24 or 48 hours, just wait and see,” Shai said.
The kingmaker of Israeli politics may now be Moshe Kahlon, a former Likud minister who left that party to form his own, called Kulanu, which won nine or 10 seats, according to exit polls.
The kingmaker of Israeli politics may now be Moshe Kahlon, a former Likud minister who left that party to form his own, called Kulanu, which won nine or 10 seats, according to exit polls. Kahlon tweeted that it was a “great success.”
Kahlon became popular with voters after he broke cellphone monopolies, and prices for mobile minutes plummeted. His party’s candidates include Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the United States, who rebuked Netanyahu for addressing Congress two weeks ago.
Kahlon became popular with voters after he broke cellphone monopolies and prices for mobile minutes plummeted. His party’s candidates include Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the United States, who rebuked Netanyahu for addressing Congress two weeks ago.
Before the election, Kahlon refused to say whether he would join a coalition led by Netanyahu or Herzog. But many analysts believe he may ultimately side with Netanyahu, since Kahlon’s politics are more closely aligned with Likud compared to Labor.
Before the election, Kahlon refused to say whether he would join a coalition led by Netanyahu or Herzog. But many analysts believe he may ultimately side with Netanyahu, since Kahlon’s politics are more closely aligned with Likud than with Labor.
As voting was underway Tuesday, Netanyahu said his hard-line government was “in danger,” notably from a turnout of Arab Israeli voters.
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The alarm from Netanyahu reflected the tight margins in his bid to hold back a surging challenge from Herzog, whose alliance appeared to hold an edge in pre-election polls.
As voting was underway Tuesday, Netanyahu said his government was “in danger,” notably from a turnout of Israeli Arab voters.
Netanyahu, 65, who has served as prime minister for nine years spread over three terms, appeared set to easily win an unprecedented fourth term when he called the election in December, two years early. But Herzog, 54, the son of a former president and grandson of a prominent rabbi, mounted an unexpectedly strong center-left campaign, capitalizing on economic malaise and what some voters described as weariness with Netanyahu.
The alarm from Netanyahu reflected the tight margins in his bid to hold back a surging challenge from Herzog.
Netanyahu’s fate also could swing on turnout from Arab Israelis, who comprise about 20 percent of Israel’s population and widely oppose Netanyahu’s security-first policies — including his new pledge to oppose any negotiations that include possible Palestinian statehood.
Netanyahu, 65, who has served as prime minister for nine years spread over three terms, appeared set to easily win an unprecedented fourth term when he called the election in December, two years early.
The Joint List of Arab Parties suggested that Arab Israeli turnout could be far higher than in the country’s last national elections in 2013. But other election watchers said it was too early to fully assess turnout figures from blocs such as Arab Israelis, who have full voting rights in contrast with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Herzog, 54, the son of a former president and grandson of a prominent rabbi, mounted an unexpectedly strong center-left campaign, capitalizing on economic malaise and what some voters described as weariness with Netanyahu.
“The right-wing government is in danger,” Netanyahu said in video posted on Facebook. “Arab voters are coming out in droves to the polls.”
Netanyahu’s fate also could swing on turnout by the Israeli Arabs, who comprise about 20 percent of Israel’s population and widely oppose Netanyahu’s security-first policies — including his new pledge to oppose any negotiations that include possible Palestinian statehood.
The Joint List of Arab Parties suggested that Arab Israeli turnout could be higher than in the country’s last national elections in 2013. But other election watchers said it was too early to fully assess turnout figures from blocs such as Israeli Arabs, who have full voting rights in contrast with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
“The right-wing government is in danger,” Netanyahu said in video posted on Facebook on Tuesday before the polls closed. “Arab voters are coming out in droves to the polls.”
Earlier, Netanyahu charged that unnamed “foreign powers” were pouring money and resources into an “anyone but Bibi” campaign.
Also on voters’ minds was the direction of Israel’s deep political and security connections to the United States.
Also on voters’ minds was the direction of Israel’s deep political and security connections to the United States.
While the ties remain a pillar for both countries, Netanyahu has stirred nearly unprecedented challenges to the White House by opposing U.S. attempts to reach a deal with Iran to rein in Tehran’s nuclear program.
While the ties remain a pillar for both countries, Netanyahu has stirred nearly unprecedented challenges to the White House by opposing U.S. attempts to reach a deal with Iran to rein in Tehran’s nuclear program.
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Ruth Eglash contributed to this report.
On Monday, Netanyahu raised the stakes in the confrontations with Washington by declaring there would be no chance of an independent Palestinian nation as long as he is prime minister. The two-state solution had been the basis of diplomatic efforts led by Secretary of State John F. Kerry.
Israel’s 5.9 million eligible voters can choose among two dozen parties — ranging from big, established groups to fringe factions — for the 20th Knesset, or parliament.
Opinion surveys on Friday showed Herzog and his running mate, Livni, with a slim lead in their bid to deny Netanyahu a historic fourth term in office.
Herzog has gained momentum by portraying Netanyahu as too preoccupied with security issues, such as Iran’s nuclear program, at the expense of domestic worries such as rising grocery costs and soaring housing prices.
About four hours before the polls closed, turnout was running at about 55 percent, slightly below the last election, officials said.
After the votes are tallied, it can take weeks of wheeling and dealing for a governing coalition to be formed among the parties. Usually the party with the most votes is asked to form the coalition, but not always.
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Herzog, casting his ballot in Tel Aviv, said “these elections are a decision between hope and change, and desperation and disappointment.”
After he voted in Jerusalem, Netanyahu promised he would not be part of a possible unity government formed by his Likud Party and Herzog’s Labor.
Netanyahu’s rejection of the Palestinian state, made on camera to an Israeli news Web site, appeared to reverse his previous declarations of support for a sovereign Palestinian state.
“I think that anyone who is going to establish a Palestinian state today and evacuate lands is giving attack grounds to the radical Islam against the state of Israel,” he said in a video interview published Monday on the NRG Web site.
“Anyone who ignores this is sticking his head in the sand. The left does this time and time again,” Netanyahu said. “We are realistic and understand.”
Netanyahu was then asked specifically whether he meant that a Palestinian state would not be established if he were reelected prime minister. He answered: “Correct.”
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In a speech at Bar-Ilan University in 2009, Netanyahu famously said that he supported a two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as long as Israeli conditions were met and Israel’s security was guaranteed. That speech and two rounds of U.S.-brokered peace talks since then led many to assume that the prime minister was prepared to see a Palestinian state arise in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
“I have no doubt that Bibi will win today,” said voter Marcel Muallem, using Netanyahu’s common nickname.
“Only Bibi, when it comes to the issue of security, he helps me sleep at night,” said Muallem, whose son was a soldier serving in Gaza during last summer’s 50-day war with Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls the enclave. “Security is the main issue.”
Across the parking lot in Jerusalem, supporters of Herzog’s Zionist Union gave out stickers and baseball caps.
“I am sure he is the right person. He will a bring a change to Israel, there is no doubt,” said Ilana Berkovitz. “Herzog is serious and trustworthy.”
First-time voter Itamar Binaymin Lapidot, 18, also said that he was throwing his support behind Herzog.
“I believe he has a good chance to change the country’s leadership. He’s a little bit weak but he is the best alternative to Bibi,” he said.
Saeb Erekat, who was the chief Palestinian negotiator during the Kerry peace talks, said he was not surprised to hear Netanyahu’s policy change on Palestinian statehood. “Netanyahu has done everything possible to bury the two-state solution,” he said. “This is not something new to us.”
Israelis who fear that Hamas will take over the West Bank, as it did the Gaza Strip in 2007, have adopted the shorthand “Hamastan” to express that concern.
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Over the past quarter-century, Israel and the Palestinians have engaged in many talks that failed to bear fruit. Kerry’s attempt collapsed last April, with each side blaming the other.
In a statement issued by his Likud party a week ago, Netanyahu was quoted as saying that his past support for an independent Palestinian state is now irrelevant.
“In the Mideast today, any evacuated territory will be overtaken by radical Islam and terror groups backed by Iran. Therefore, there will be no withdrawals and no concessions. It’s just not relevant,” the statement read, attributing the remark to Netanyahu.
Afterward, Netanyahu’s spokesman attempted to clarify matters by stating that the prime minister meant to say that “under current conditions in the Middle East, any land that is handed over would be grabbed by Islamist extremists.”
The Palestinian Authority under President Mahmoud Abbas, which oversees part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has vowed to pursue a path of nonviolence and has coordinated its security responsibilities with Israeli forces.
William Branigin in Washington contributed to this report.
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Netanyahu’s fears over the possible nuclear deal with Iran
