Benjamin Netanyahu urged to step down as Israeli Prime Minister after exit polls suggest political deadlock

Benjamin Netanyahu has been urged to step down as Israeli Prime Minister after the exit polls show the country remains in a political deadlock. Both Mr Netanyahu and rival Gadi Eisenkot claimed the right to lead Israel after yesterday's election, with the incumbent Prime Minister calling for a right-wing government. Meanwhile, Mr Eisenkot said voters had rejected the longtime Israeli leader, even as exit polls left their blocs deadlocked. Neither man claimed victory, and neither declaration resolved the electoral arithmetic. As actual votes trickled in, Kan 11 and Channel 13 exit polls tied the blocs at 51-51, while Channel 12 gave Mr Netanyahu's Likud-led bloc a narrow 52-49 edge. However, neither side had the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. The deadlock could work in Mr Netanyahu's favour, leaving him in office as a caretaker prime minister during what are likely to be prolonged and complex coalition negotiations or even until another election can be held. Hard-right religious parties led by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich were projected to take a combined 13 seats within Netanyahu's bloc, with no major gains for either. The leader of the left-wing Democrats, Yair Golan, said he was prepared to work with "all our partners" to form a functioning Government. He said: "The public has spoken; it has fired the Netanyahu Government." Mr Golan added the contest provided "a historic opportunity to establish a government of change in Israel". Turnout has hit a record high in the historic elections, with more than 74.3 per cent casting their vote at local polling stations - the highest in any national election since 1999. LATEST FROM ISRAEL: If the exit poll projections hold, Mr Netanyahu's nationalist-religious coalition, which at its height held 68 seats, would fall far short of the 61 needed to govern, leaving him with no clear path to forming a government. Mr Eisenkot, 66, who lost a son and two nephews in the Gaza war, emerged as Mr Netanyahu's strongest challenger, stressing his security credentials while positioning himself as a centrist domestically. He entered politics only four years ago and joined the Israeli war cabinet after the 2023 Hamas attack, but quit eight months later, having been an outspoken critic of Mr Netanyahu since then. Mr Eisenkot offers a break with Netanyahu's leadership but not with the hawkish approach to security that has become more entrenched since the 2023 Hamas attack, opposing Palestinian statehood. The headquarters of the Joint List, an alliance of several Arab parties, burst into whistles and applause when exit polls were released, on a historic night for turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel. Faten Gattas, a candidate in the Joint List, in a speech at the alliance’s headquarters in Nazareth, said: "We refuse the occupation and racism, and we will remain here. Candidates hoped high Arab turnout would allow them to play a decisive role in blocking Netanyahu's coalition from returning to power. Final results are expected on Thursday or Friday, and Israel's fragmented political system leaves smaller parties potential kingmakers in coalition negotiations that have run to weeks or months after past elections. If neither bloc can form a government, another vote may be needed, something Mr Eisenkot opposed given the high voter turnout. Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, called the exit polls a major defeat for Netanyahu's coalition but cautioned that Mr Eisenkot had not emerged as a clear winner and much could change as votes were counted. Follow related topics: