Deadlock: Israeli Election Leaves Power Vacuum

77.7 percent. That was the voter turnout recorded by Israel’s Central Elections Committee for Tuesday’s general election, the highest level in more than two decades and seven percentage points above the 2022 figure.

Despite that surge in participation, the vote produced a stalemate. With roughly 48.4 percent of ballots counted, projections placed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc at 55 seats and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s center-right bloc at 50. Arab parties were projected to win 15 seats. Neither side secured the 61 seats required for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

The result leaves both leaders claiming the moral high ground without the arithmetic to back it up. Netanyahu, 77, addressed his party in Jerusalem after 3 a.m. local time. He called for a “strong, right-wing national government” and rejected the idea of governing with Arab parties, a group that campaigned to oust his far-right allies.

Eisenkot, 66, pushed back. He told supporters in Tel Aviv that the public had voted against Netanyahu continuing as prime minister. “Netanyahu is a caretaker prime minister, without a mandate or the people’s trust,” Eisenkot said. He urged the security establishment to “stand firm” against using national defense for political gain.

The deadlock complicates Eisenkot’s path to power. He has largely ruled out an alliance with Arab parties. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s bloc includes far-right religious parties led by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who are projected to take a combined 13 seats. If neither bloc can secure a majority, the 77-year-old prime minister remains in office as a caretaker during prolonged negotiations or until a new vote is called.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who endorsed Netanyahu, weighed in from Texas. He described the race as “pretty close” and suggested the tie might be considered a win for Netanyahu due to the complexity of the political chess match. Trump also cited a joint opportunity with Netanyahu to address the threat posed by Iran.

The election was the first since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023. That attack killed 1,200 people and left 251 hostages, according to Israeli government tallies. The subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, per local health authorities. Eisenkot, who lost a son and two nephews in the conflict, argued that Hamas’ continued control proves the military response failed, while Netanyahu cited the elimination of top leaders from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran as evidence of success.