Follow-up: With Over 70% of Votes Counted in Israel's Election, Netanyahu Bloc Projected at 54 Seats, Still Short of a Majority; Shekel Falls About 2%
According to Reuters on October 28, counting continued in Israel's October 27 parliamentary election, with about 70.7% to 71% of votes tallied by the morning of October 28. Israeli media projected that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties would win 54 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, the opposition bloc led by his rival Gadi Eisenkot 47 seats, and parties representing Israelis of Arab descent 19 seats. Neither bloc reached the 61 seats needed for a majority, and Netanyahu's Likud remained the largest single party. Definitive results were expected on Thursday, and the projections may still change as counting continues.
GSM previously reported exit polls showing Likud as the largest party with 25 seats and neither bloc reaching 61. With more than 70% counted, Netanyahu's bloc performed more strongly than expected before the vote, but did not retain the majority of his outgoing coalition. Reuters noted that opponents have little hope of unseating him without some form of backing from Arab parties, and that he would remain caretaker prime minister during coalition negotiations or until a new election in 2027.
Addressing Likud supporters after 3 a.m. at the party's Jerusalem headquarters, Netanyahu called for the formation of "a strong, right-wing national government." He highlighted Israel's military successes and raised the prospect of renewed joint military action against Iran alongside U.S. President Donald Trump, saying Israel faced "a singular historical opportunity, together with our partner President Trump, to remove the existential threat of Iran once and for all." Eisenkot acknowledged Netanyahu remained in office as caretaker but said the prime minister had lost public support and should retire from politics, warning he might use security for political ends.
In markets, the shekel weakened around 2% to 3.1185 per dollar, on track for its worst day in 16 months, and Tel Aviv's benchmark TA-125 index fell around 3%. William Jackson, chief emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, said the initial results offered more paths for Netanyahu to remain in power, though any government that emerged was unlikely to be robust.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于耶路撒冷的以色列议会（Knesset）大楼正面与国旗。照片：Clema12，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons。
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