Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and wife Sara cast their ballot during Israel's parliamentary elections in Jerusalem, on April 9, 2019. AFP/Ariel Schalit
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be on his way to a fifth term in a close race against a popular former army chief, two election exit polls showed.
Netanyahu’s Likud party and former military chief Benny Gantz’s Blue & White bloc each won about three dozen of parliament’s 120 seats. But together with other right-wing and religious partners, a Netanyahu-led bloc secured a total of 66 seats in one poll, and 64, according to another. A third showed the blocs tied but with so many small parties running close to the electoral threshold the picture could still change as official results begin trickling in.
Netanyahu, who could become his country’s longest-serving leader in July if he manages to form a government, faced a tough challenge from Gantz, who has the security credentials prized by Israelis and a clean-hands image, but lacks the political experience the prime minister has accrued in a combined 13 years in office. In large part, the campaign was a referendum on Netanyahu’s character, as he’s likely to be indicted on corruption charges later this year.
The election result could ripple across a volatile region. Peacemaking with the Palestinians has stalled under Netanyahu’s watch; instead he opted to improve Israel’s ties with Gulf Arab states by leveraging a shared distrust of Iran. Gantz, a 38-year military veteran, has talked vaguely about "separation” from the Palestinians and hasn’t uttered the term "statehood,” yet he’s signaled he’d make more effort to restart peace talks.
A U.S. peace plan, which the Trump administration says will present new solutions to break the impasse, is expected to be unveiled shortly after the election.
About 6.3 million people were eligible to vote for the 120-member parliament, or Knesset. Final results will be announced Thursday, and a week later President Reuven Rivlin will assign a party to build the next coalition. That task won’t necessarily go to the party with the most seats, but to the one deemed best able to form an alliance of at least 61 Knesset members. If Netanyahu manages to secure a fifth term, he’s poised to become Israel’s longest-serving leader in July, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion.
