Key Takeaways from Israel’s Election   As I am writing this, 84 percent of the vote has been counted, or 4.4 million votes. Netanyahu’s Likud party and coalition bloc is in the lead with 54 Knesset seats, the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot has 49 seats, and Arab parties have 17 seats.   A majority requires 61 seats, so there is no clear-cut winner. Yet earlier this morning, Netanyahu said, “The Likud is the largest party in Israel.” He considered the outcome a decisive majority for him, saying, “We must establish a strong, right-wing, national government.”   The lead opposition party, however, still seeks to replace the Netanyahu government, saying, “It’s not certain we’ll get an opportunity like this again.”   Because there is no majority, the smaller parties are now at the point where they can negotiate with the two frontrunners (Netanyahu or Eisenkot) to combine parties and thus reach a majority.     For now, however, it is looking like Netanyahu and his cabinet will stay in place as a caretaker government, meaning they would remain in power.  

Record-Breaking Voter Turnout in Israel   So far, voter turnout is nearly 45 percent at this hour, the highest ever at this time, setting new records. At this hour in 2022, 39 percent had voted.   The Central Elections Committee has kept track of the polling numbers since 1973, and the acting director general of the committee said, “We have surpassed all the records kept…There hasn’t been such a nationwide voter turnout since 1973.”   Above all else, this election is seen as a referendum on Netanyahu’s leadership over the past four years, which saw the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas and the lengthy hostage crisis that followed, a seven-front war, and a major military campaign with the US against Iran.   The main parties seeking to win include a coalition headed up by Netanyahu’s Likud party and the opposition movements headed up by former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot. There is also a joint ticket headed up by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Knesset leader Yair Lapid.   The polling stations close at 10:00 pm Israeli time, 4:00 pm Eastern Time in the US. Election officials have said that if people are still waiting in line at closing time, the polling stations will be kept open.  

Tomorrow: Election Day in Israel   Israel has been through an extremely contentious election season—its first since Hamas’s brutal October 7, 2023 attack against Israel.   The most recent polls show that neither the prime minister’s political bloc nor the opposition’s bloc are on track to reach 61 seats, which is needed in order to have a majority in the Knesset, which has a total of 120 seats.   Much of the strife between candidates has focused on disputes over the wars in Gaza and Iran as well as the economic toll of those wars.   An estimated 70,000 Israelis are expected to return from abroad to participate in the elections and could have a bearing on the final results. The Jerusalem Post quoted one voter who came from Miami, Florida. Judy, who has lived in the US for 50 years, said, “I coordinated my vacation in Israel with Election Day, and I’m returning to the US at the beginning of November.”   Whatever the outcome, we can know with certainty it is in God’s hands.