Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a strong right-wing government and warned against forming one dependent on Arab parties early Wednesday, telling activists and journalists at Likud’s election headquarters in Jerusalem to await the final count after exit polls left the outcome unresolved.
“The Likud is the largest party in Israel,” Netanyahu said. He also claimed that the right-wing bloc held a decisive majority among the Jewish and Zionist public and those who supported the Jewish state.
Data from the Central Elections Committee on Wednesday around noon showed Netanyahu's coaltion bloc leading with 54 seats; Likud had 27.
Updated exit polls on Tuesday from Kan and Channel 13 put Netanyahu’s bloc and the four-party opposition grouping at 51 seats each, with the Arab parties on 18. Channel 12 put Netanyahu’s bloc at 52, the opposition grouping at 49 and the Arab parties at 19.
“We must establish a strong, right-wing, national government,” Netanyahu said.
He warned against establishing a government reliant on what he called anti-Zionist Arab parties, accusing them of opposing Israel’s existence and attacking its soldiers. He challenged politicians advocating an alliance of those who serve in the military over the possibility of cooperating with those parties.
His remarks placed the question of reliance on Arab parties at the center of the uncertain coalition arithmetic, even as he urged supporters to wait for the actual results.
Netanyahu recounts government’s military achievements, unfinished work
Speaking to party activists after a night of chants of “Only Bibi!”, Netanyahu recounted what he presented as his government’s military achievements and argued that its work remained unfinished.
“Iran is weaker than ever; Israel is stronger than ever,” he said.
He described an opportunity to work with US President Donald Trump to remove the Iranian threat, while warning that the danger would persist as long as the current regime remained in power.
Netanyahu’s call for patience followed similar messages from Likud MK Amit Halevi and supporters The Jerusalem Post interviewed throughout the night.
Halevi disputed the initial projection of 50 seats for Netanyahu’s bloc, arguing that it understated its support and would not be the final outcome.
He described the election as Israeli society’s response to the October 7 attacks and three years of war. People had not remained indifferent, he told the Post. They had come out to vote.
Halevi also pointed to the projected strength of the Arab parties. His objection to their political influence, he said, concerned what he characterized as their radical ideology, rather than ethnicity.
He warned that an attempt by Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot to form a government reliant on figures Halevi described as radical advisers to Yasser Arafat would fail.
Inside the hall, classic Israeli songs played in Mizrahi renditions. Journalists, activists, party members and sitting MKs filled the venue, surrounded by Likud’s blue and white and campaign posters.
When Meir Cohen, a longtime Likud member, was asked how Netanyahu would navigate the uncertainty and assemble a government, the answer was simple.
“I trust Bibi,” he told the Post.
Cohen traced his connection to Likud to his birth in 1973, saying Menachem Begin had been his sandak, holding him during his brit milah, the Jewish ritual circumcision.
He expressed distrust of the initial projections from the three main broadcasters and credited Netanyahu with strengthening Israel’s military power and standing abroad.
“He will protect us. He will continue to protect us,” Cohen said.
For supporter Tomer Shlomi Mishkaf Lavan, the evening was about the country’s future and the need to bring Israelis together.
This ship called the State of Israel to safe harbor'
“We are fighting for the future of the State of Israel,” he told the Post, calling for a strong leader who would unite the country.
He returned repeatedly to the divisions between Israelis, describing angry exchanges, burning tires and blocked roads over the past four years. He wanted quiet, an end to the protests and a different atmosphere between people.
“We need mutual responsibility. We need people to love one another,” he said.
Asked what being at Likud headquarters meant to him personally, he again spoke about overcoming divisions.
“I came here to express my opinion. My opinion is unity,” he said.
He wanted Netanyahu to mend the country’s rifts and guide “this ship called the State of Israel to safe harbor.”
Another supporter, who told the Post he had worked for the movement for decades, urged patience with the projections and questioned whether they fairly reflected support for Netanyahu.
Throughout the night, questions about seats and coalition partners repeatedly brought the conversation back to the prime minister himself.
“I trust Bibi,” Cohen said.