Israeli Opposition Leader: Netanyahu's Camp Suffered a Harsh Defeat... The People Told Them 'Go Home'
Gadi Eizenkot's alliance leads Benjamin Netanyahu in Israeli election exit polls, with neither side securing the majority needed to form a government.
Translated by Qiyas from السياسة — Original source
Exit polls conducted by Israeli media outlets after the closure of polling stations in the Knesset elections showed that the Jewish parties alliance led by Gadi Eizenkot was ahead of the alliance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with neither alliance securing the 61 seats needed to form a government.
According to polls by Channel 13 and the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, Eizenkot’s alliance secured 53 seats, compared to 50 for Netanyahu’s alliance and 17 for Arab parties.
Conversely, a poll by the private Hebrew-language Channel 12 showed Eizenkot’s alliance winning 52 seats, against 50 for Netanyahu’s alliance and 18 for Arab parties.
In the initial reactions, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid declared that Netanyahu’s camp had suffered a harsh defeat, describing the results as a “complete collapse” and adding, “The people told them: Go home.”
For his part, Democratic Party leader Yair Golan said, “The public has spoken and overthrown Netanyahu’s government,” emphasizing that there is a historic opportunity to form a genuine change government and that he would not allow it to be wasted.
Meanwhile, Eizenkot stated that the exit poll results indicated a complete lack of confidence in Netanyahu and his government among the Zionist majority and most Israeli citizens.
