Israel election: exit polls give no bloc a majority; what TASS reports and what independent outlets add

TASS gives a 53–50 seat split in favour of the opposition bloc. Independent outlets confirm the opposition's narrow lead but report that neither camp wins a majority, and that Arab parties are heading for a record result.

By Verification deskDrafted with AI, checked and edited by the editor.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a polling station in JerusalemPhoto: (Yonatan Sindel /Pool Photo via AP)

What Russian state media says

UnverifiedTASS, citing the poll results, writes that Netanyahu's party came first, but the opposition bloc is ahead of the ruling coalition with 53 seats against 50.TASS
UnverifiedTASS, citing Channel 12, reports that turnout exceeded 74% two hours before voting ended, a record for any Israeli election since 1988.TASS
Not reported by state mediaThe TASS items in this batch do not mention that the exit polls give neither bloc a majority, or the record turnout and strong showing of Arab parties.TASS · TASS

What is documented

According to exit polls from three leading TV channels, neither camp wins a majority. Eisenkot's bloc is the largest and narrowly ahead of Netanyahu's; BBC adds that Likud is the largest single party. None of these items gives bloc seat totals.BBC News Русская служба · Медуза · The Insider
Independent outlets describe turnout as a record (The Insider), the highest in more than two decades (NPR) and strong (The New York Times). The benchmark period is worded differently across outlets.The Insider · NPR · The New York Times
Voters for two leading Arab parties turned out in record numbers (The New York Times); Al Jazeera cites exit polls projecting up to 18 seats for the Arab bloc.The Insider · The New York Times · Al Jazeera · Al Jazeera

After voting ended in the Knesset election, exit polls from Israel’s three leading TV channels showed that neither of the two main political camps would win a majority, BBC Russian Service reported. According to BBC, the opposition bloc led by former chief of the General Staff Gadi Eisenkot would be the largest grouping in the Knesset, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud would win more seats than any other single party. Meduza also wrote that Eisenkot’s bloc was ahead by a small margin.

TASS reported that the opposition bloc was ahead of Netanyahu’s bloc with 53 seats against 50, and that Netanyahu’s party came first. The independent items available to Sverka confirm the order of the blocs but give no seat counts, so the 53 and 50 figures remain unverified. The TASS items in this batch do not say that no bloc reaches a majority.

On turnout, TASS cited Channel 12 as saying it exceeded 74% two hours before polls closed, a record for any Israeli election since 1988. The Insider also described turnout as a record, while NPR called it the highest in more than two decades. The New York Times wrote of a day of strong turnout.

The New York Times reported that voters backing two leading Arab parties turned out in record numbers and that their showing may give them a role in forming the next government. Al Jazeera, citing Israeli media exit polls, said the Arab bloc was projected to win as many as 18 seats. Al Jazeera also reported that President Isaac Herzog will task the candidate he considers best placed with forming a government once results are in; the New York Times said vote counting was continuing.

Where accounts differThe sources differ on how to describe turnout: TASS, citing Channel 12, says a record since 1988; NPR says the highest in more than two decades; The Insider simply says a record. Seat figures for the blocs (53 and 50) appear only in TASS, and the 18-seat projection for the Arab bloc only in Al Jazeera; these are exit-poll projections, not final results.