Israeli exit polls suggest no clear winner in pivotal general election

Exit polls show neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor former military chief Gadi Eisenkot on track to win a majority. Two broadcasters project 51 seats each for Eisenkot’s Change Bloc and Netanyahu’s coalition in the 120-seat Knesset, while a third poll gives Netanyahu a three-seat lead; Arab parties could win a record 18 or 19 seats. Turnout reached 77.7%, the highest at that hour since 1999, and around 600,000 absentee ballots are not expected to be fully counted until Thursday. Once results are confirmed, Israel’s president will ask the party leader with the best chance of success to form a coalition, a process that could take weeks.