Netanyahu shocked by Israeli election

Israel's first national election since the Hamas attacks has been held in a fierce battle. The results of the exit polls released on Tuesday indicate a "hung" atmosphere. The contest was between the coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the opposition coalition led by former army chief Gadi Eisencott. However, no alliance has been able to achieve the magic figure of 61 seats required to form the government.

According to exit polls released by leading TV channels, the opposition coalition led by Eisenkot is expected to win 52 to 53 seats in the 120-member Israeli parliament (Knesset). On the other hand, Netanyahu's Likud party and a coalition of other allies are expected to win about 50 seats. Arab parties have made an unprecedented surge in this election. Exit polls have predicted that these parties, which had won 10 seats in the past, are likely to win 17 to 18 seats this time. These parties are likely to play a key role in the formation of the government.

Party-wise, Netanyahu's Likud party is expected to emerge as the largest party with 24-25 seats. Eisenkot's newly formed Yashar party is expected to win 21-23 seats, while Naftali Bennett's party is expected to win 12-14 seats.The election was seen as a referendum on Netanyahu's leadership after the Hamas attacks. A record voter turnout of 77.7 per cent was recorded. This is the highest in the last two decades. Opposition leaders expressed happiness over the results of the exit polls. Eisenkot said it was a "distrust" of the Netanyahu government, while opposition leader Yair Lapid called it a "disastrous defeat" for the Netanyahu coalition. The leaders of the Arab parties described their results as a "historic victory".

In the wake of these results, the process of government formation is likely to continue for weeks. It may take a few more days for the official results to be out. Subsequently, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will consult with the leaders of the parties and invite a leader to form a government. This process may take up to 42 days. Until then, Netanyahu is likely to continue as interim prime minister.