Israel held its national elections on Wednesday to determine the composition of the Knesset. Benjamin Netanyahu addressed supporters at the Likud party headquarters in Jerusalem during the early hours of the day.
Netanyahu stated, "We must establish a strong, right-wing, nationalist government." The Prime Minister warned that the country must not endanger itself by forming a government that relies on anti-Zionist Arab parties.
More than 77 percent of the electorate participated in the voting process. A total of 61 out of 120 seats are required to secure control of the parliament.
Gadi Eisenkot declared victory for "Israel’s Zionist national majority" in Tel Aviv, where his "Change" bloc sat just under 50 percent with 85 percent of the votes tallied. Eisenkot established four conditions for cooperation, including the recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and the denunciation of Hamas as a terrorist group.
The Joint List and Ra’am are projected to send approximately 19 lawmakers to parliament. Mansour Abbas said, "We’ll translate this electoral power into an influential political force."
Arab Israelis comprise about 21 percent of the population, and the Arab bloc won 10 seats in 2022. Yair Golan said, "We must no longer accept Netanyahu’s racist division between Jewish voters and Arab voters."
