Murray Wood The end of the great Canadian game as we know it
The last Roughrider home game was the last CFL game in Saskatchewan played on a CFL-sized field. Murray Wood thinks it's...
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli voters delivered a sharp rebuke Tuesday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in national elections, exit polls indicated, with his opponents appearing to capture a solid majority in the next parliament.
Even if the exit polls are borne out, the opposition may find it difficult to form a government to replace Netanyahu.
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The easiest path would involve his main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, partnering with Arab-led parties, but that could prove politically difficult and potentially alienate other opposition factions.
The exit polls released by major Israeli TV stations suggested that Netanyahu’s bloc won 50 seats, the opposition won 52-53 and Arab parties won 17-18.
That would set the stage for weeks of political jockeying before a prime minister is declared — or another round of elections is called.
Eisenkot said the exit polls show a “lack of confidence” in the current prime minister. Arab voters celebrated the exit polls while supporters of far-right parties aligned with Netanyahu expressed disappointment.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the media after voting at a polling station in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (Jewel Samad/Pool Photo via AP)
Like all surveys, exit polls are subject to potential error. Preliminary results are expected in the coming hours. Final results are expected in the coming days and may vary from the exit polls.
An inconclusive result would leave Israel in political limbo after the country’s first national election since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
The race is widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu’s nearly unbroken 17-year rule, which had left Israelis bitterly divided on a host of issues even before the deadliest attack in its history.
The resulting wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, along with settler violence in the occupied West Bank, have stoked worldwide outrage, straining ties with Israel’s closest allies and fueling a rise in antisemitism.
Among Israelis, the election is widely seen as a struggle over the character of the state, pitting Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and religious allies against those seeking to preserve its liberal and secular foundations.
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