Exit Polls Put Likud First, Opponents Ahead in Bloc Projections

Exit polls from Israel’s October 27 election projected Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud as the largest party, while several broadcasters gave parties opposing his government a narrow lead as a bloc. The estimates left both main camps short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset, and did not establish who could form the next government. Kan projected Likud to win 25 seats and Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar 21, with the anti-Netanyahu bloc at 53 seats and Netanyahu’s camp at 50. Channel 12 projected 52 seats for Jewish-led parties opposing Netanyahu and 50 for his allies. Channel 13 put the respective totals at 53 and 50. These are distinct exit-poll estimates, not counted results. The polls also projected a substantial showing for Arab parties. Kan put them at 17 seats; Channel 12 projected a combined 18 for the Joint List and Raam, while Channel 13 projected 17. Those parties could affect coalition negotiations, but the available projections do not determine whether they would join or support a government led by either camp. A revised projection attributed to Channel 14 and relayed in one account put Netanyahu’s bloc at 61 seats, enough for a majority. That estimate...