Shea Levin — text status

🗳️🔴 *THE FULL PICTURE:* Most exit polls give Eisenkot's bloc 52-53 seats and Netanyahu's 50. Channel 14 gives Netanyahu 60. Neither side reaches the 61 needed for a majority. - Netanyahu's Likud is the largest single party, but that doesn't automatically give him the first chance to form a government. It's still unclear whether President Herzog will first task Eisenkot or Netanyahu. The coming days will tell. - Getting the mandate first doesn't guarantee success: after four of the five elections between 2019 and 2022, the first person tasked failed to form a government within their mandate. - Eisenkot has rejected serving under Netanyahu or relying on Arab parties. Arab-party support or a unity government with Likud would therefore require difficult compromises. Otherwise, the deadlock could continue. - Netanyahu ran with the message of a strong broad unity Government. Israeli TV analysts have also raised the possibility of unity without the Charedi parties, but that remains speculation. - These are exit polls, not final results. Final results are expected around Thursday, Oct. 29.