Netanyahu bloc leads with 57 seats as 41% of Israel’s vote is counted; Eisenkot is urged to join a national unity government

At 7 a.m. in Israel, with 41% of the votes counted, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc stood at 57 seats, compared with 47 for the change bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot.

The assessment accompanying the figures argued that efforts to downplay what it called Netanyahu’s wartime achievements and obscure the opposition’s conciliatory positions had failed to persuade a large segment of the Israeli public. It described the change bloc’s alternative as deeply troubling to millions of Israelis: a narrow government relying on outside support from Arab parties whose leaders, it said, refuse to call Hamas a terrorist organization, while anti-Zionist parties would effectively hold the keys to the government’s survival as it continued the war.

The assessment said Netanyahu had understood even before yesterday’s election that relying solely on a right-wing and ultra-Orthodox coalition in the next government would be difficult, if not impossible. It added that a large segment of Israeli society is demanding change and that the country cannot pursue essential reforms without bringing major parts of the nation on board.

It described Eisenkot’s victory speech last night as that of a political novice, saying he rushed to declare the end of the Netanyahu era. The assessment said that reality was not matching those expectations, to the disappointment of Eisenkot and his voters.

It urged Eisenkot to demonstrate responsibility, strength and leadership by announcing that he would join Netanyahu in a national unity government. The only alternative, it argued, was another election in a few months, while Israel continues to face enormous security challenges, potentially in the coming days.