Smotrich Pledges Gaza Settlements as Netanyahu Bloc Lags

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that Jewish settlements will be established in Gaza on Wednesday morning. He made the statement at his party headquarters in Jerusalem after exit polls indicated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing alliance had not secured a majority. Smotrich said opponents would not reverse the government’s expansion of settlements in the West Bank, a move considered illegal under international law. Israel dismantled its settlements in Gaza in 2005.

As of Wednesday morning, approximately 55 percent of ballots had been counted. Al Jazeera correspondent Nida Ibrahim reported from Ramallah that Netanyahu’s bloc of right-wing and religious parties was projected to win 56 seats. This total falls short of the 61 seats required for a majority in the 120-seat parliament. The stalemate leaves Arab-led parties in a position to decide which coalition forms the next government.

Smotrich posted on Facebook on Tuesday that voter turnout was unusually high in Arab communities and left-wing strongholds. He did not provide specific figures to support the claim. He argued that a failure to mobilize right-wing voters could allow "terror supporters" to enter government. Earlier on Tuesday, he warned that the high Arab participation threatened the election results.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made similar appeals while voting was ongoing. He warned that Arab voters were rushing to polling stations and that an opposition victory would threaten Israel’s Jewish character. Netanyahu accused three senior figures from the Arab-majority party Ra’am of attempting to steal the election. Police confirmed the arrest of three individuals on suspicion of voter bribery, but no indication suggested they held senior positions in Ra’am.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev repeated the theft allegations in a post on X. She wrote, "They're trying to steal the elections and the country from us. It's either the right or Palestine." Regev is a member of the Likud party. Her comments followed Netanyahu’s warnings about the political implications of the vote.

British-American political scientist Dov Waxman told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu is likely to emphasize to the public that a governing coalition including Arab parties is illegitimate. Arab political leaders condemned the prime minister’s election-day messages as racist and inflammatory. Mansour Abbas, the leader of Ra’am, said he had been approached by both Netanyahu’s Likud and the opposition camp led by Gadi Eisenkot.

Gadi Eisenkot heads the Yashar party. He is a former military chief who leads the opposition bloc. Neither major political camp secured a clear majority in the initial counts. The result leaves the formation of the next government dependent on negotiations with smaller parties.