In brief

• The Israeli parliamentary election took place following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
• Netanyahu's bloc secured 59 seats in the initial count, falling short of the 61 needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
• Iran's foreign ministry stated that the election results do not affect Tehran.
• Netanyahu intends to form a strong right-wing government and has stated that cooperation with Arab parties is unacceptable.

Election Data Summary

Iran's foreign ministry said the outcome of the Israeli parliamentary election is inconsequential to Tehran, stating that it does not matter which party forms the government (Iránu je jedno, kto vyhrá voľby v Izraeli. Teherán reagoval deň pred hlasovaním – Aktuality.sk). The statement was released one day before voting began, according to AFP and DPA.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to form a strong right-wing government after the elections, speaking to supporters in Jerusalem on Wednesday night (Benjamin Netanjahu chce silnú pravicovú vládu: Spoluprácu s arabskými stranami označil za neprípustnú – Aktuality.sk). His campaign focused on Israeli security, integrating the Iranian situation, the conflict in Gaza and tensions in the West Bank into the national debate (Netanjahu vyzval Izraelčanov, aby volili správne; Eizenkot, aby dali hlas zmene – Aktuality.sk).

Israel held its first general election since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023. Analysts viewed the vote as a referendum on Netanyahu's leadership (Izrael volí v tieni vojny v najdôležitejších voľbách. Padne Netanjahu a čo to znamená pre Gazu či Irán? – Aktuality.sk). Initial data from about one-third of polling stations showed Netanyahu's bloc with 59 seats, two short of the 61 needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset (Priebežné výsledky v Izraeli: Netanjahuov blok má 59 kresiel, na väčšinu mu chýbajú dva mandáty – Aktuality.sk). Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot claimed Netanyahu was preparing to contest the results if they did not favor him (Netanjahu hovorí o „kradnutí volieb“. Opozícia tvrdí, že chce spochybniť výsledok – Aktuality.sk).

Netanyahu has said cooperation with Arab parties is unacceptable as he seeks to form a firm right-wing government. Some observers suggest that Arab Israelis, who make up roughly one-fifth of the population, could determine whether Netanyahu keeps his position (Izrael čakajú kľúčové voľby: O Netanjahuovom osude môžu rozhodnúť izraelskí Arabi – STVR).

• Netanyahu's bloc won 59 seats after counting results from 32.5 percent of polling districts.
• A majority in the 120-seat Knesset requires 61 seats.

Political Dynamics

Netanyahu called on Israeli citizens to vote correctly, while Gadi Eisenkot urged voters to choose change. Eisenkot's party warned that Netanyahu was positioning himself to dispute the election outcome, alleging the votes were manipulated against him.