Naftali Bennett says Netanyahu has lost Israel’s election as opposition leaders begin talks on forming next government

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett declared Tuesday night that Benjamin Netanyahu had lost the election and said leaders of the opposition “change bloc” were already coordinating efforts to form a new government.

“The people of Israel have risen and spoken. Netanyahu has lost, and the October 7 government will go home,” Bennett told supporters at his B’Yachad party headquarters in Tel Aviv after exit polls were released.

Bennett pointed to projections showing Netanyahu’s governing bloc falling from 68 seats in the outgoing Knesset to around 50, describing it as the collapse of a coalition built around exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox men.

“I can already tell you that we, the leaders of the change bloc, are talking and coordinating,” Bennett said. “We will do everything, without ego, to establish a Zionist government of those who serve.”

He said the opposition would seek to form a government “of people who get things done,” promising responsible leadership that would serve all Israelis.

Bennett’s B’Yachad party was projected to win roughly 13 to 14 seats, behind Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar and Netanyahu’s Likud.

Major exit polls showed Netanyahu’s bloc at about 50 seats and the Jewish-led opposition at 52 to 53, with Arab parties projected to hold another 17 to 18 seats. Neither principal bloc reached the 61 seats required for a Knesset majority.

Official results were still being counted, leaving coalition negotiations likely to determine who can form Israel’s next government.