Netanyahu Says 'Zionist Jewish Majority Must Unite' To Form Strong Right-Wing Government

Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday (local time) said the right-wing bloc has a "significant, decisive majority" among Jewish voters and those who support a Jewish state, calling for unity to form a strong national right-wing government. 

According to Israeli media, Netanyahu opposed the formation of a government dependent on Arab parties he described as anti-Zionist, alleging that some of them support Hamas and call Israeli soldiers "murderers and war criminals."   

"We must establish a national, right-wing, strong government. That is what we must do," Netanyahu said. "It is simply forbidden that we should endanger Israel and establish a government that leans on Arab parties that are anti-Zionist," he added. 

Netanyahu also criticised politicians and media commentators for discussing the possibility of such an alliance, questioning their willingness to consider cooperation with parties he accused of opposing Israel's existence and supporting its enemies.  

"What level have we reached that politicians on the various news channels are talking about that, are normalising that, and justifying that?" he said. Referring to the parties he opposes, Netanyahu named the Islamic Movement and the Joint List, as well as Balad, which he called anti-Zionist, while rejecting the possibility of an alliance with them. 

"It is forbidden, and it should never actually take shape," he said. Netanyahu reiterated his call for unity among Jewish and Zionist political groups, saying, "The majority, the Zionist Jewish majority, must join forces. They must unite." 

His remarks come as the race for the Knesset has tightened dramatically as polling figures continue to shift across the board. Pollster Direct Polls projected 55 seats for the Netanyahu bloc, 49 for the Gadi Eisenkot led opposition bloc and 16 for the Arab parties. 

In its updated exit poll, Kan 11, an Israeli state-owned, free-to-air television channel, projects that the pro-Netanyahu bloc and the anti-Netanyahu bloc each hold 51 seats, compared with 50 and 52 seats, respectively, in its previous poll at 11:04 pm (local time), as reported by The Times of Israel. 

Another poll from agency Filber and presented by Channel 14 projected 60 seats for the Netanyahu bloc, 43 for the opposition and 17 for the Arab parties.  The latest seat adjustments show Netanyahu's Likud party moving to 27 seats from 25, the left-wing alliance The Democrats shifting to nine seats from 10, and the far-right Otzma Yehudit party moving to six seats from seven.  

Amid these shifting parliamentary numbers, Mansour Abbas, chairman of the Ra’am party, has indicated that he is in contact with representatives from both the pro- and anti-Netanyahu factions after exit polls indicated that neither camp holds a clear majority to form a government. 

"Everyone is speaking with us, not just from the 'change bloc'," Abbas told Channel 12, as reported by The Times of Israel, pointing out that individuals from the pro-Netanyahu alliance have also initiated contact.  

Abbas expressed an openness to participating in an administration headed by Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, though he emphasised that the practical viability of such an alliance must first be established. 

He noted that "currently there aren't numbers for a government", pointing out that his party's projected seven seats leave the broader opposition bloc two seats short of the 61-seat threshold required to form a coalition.

Although the primary exit polls estimate a total of 70 seats for factions opposing Netanyahu, multiple Zionist opposition groups have rejected the prospect of partnering with Arab parties, presenting additional hurdles to coalition-building efforts, according to The Times of Israel. 

Following the closure of polling stations at 10 pm, final data released by the Central Elections Committee showed that national voter turnout reached a historic 77.7 per cent, an increase from the 70.6 per cent recorded at the same hour during the 2022 election. This marked the highest level of voter participation at this hour since 1999. 

With voting concluded, exit polls published by Channels 11, 12 and 13 on Tuesday night indicated that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposing faction secured the requisite 61-seat majority in the Knesset, The Jerusalem Post reported. 

The general election, the first to be held since the Hamas-led massacre of October 7, 2023, unfolded amid deep national divisions over security accountability, state leadership and the independence of Israel’s democratic institutions. 

Netanyahu, who has remained at the centre of power for 19 years, faced a formidable challenge from former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and his Yashar Party, which led in various opinion surveys ahead of the vote.