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The head of the Israeli "Democrats" party, Yair Golan, hinted on Tuesday evening at the necessity of involving Arab parties in the opposition's efforts to form a government coalition that would oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
This came in his first statement after the closing of polling stations in the Knesset elections, as reported by the Hebrew newspaper "Haaretz".
Golan said: "Every member of the Knesset elected through the democratic and legal process is a legitimate part of our political system."
He added: "If there is a democratic majority to replace the government of destruction, we must achieve that."
Golan's statements came in light of exit poll results which showed that the Zionist opposition, led by "Yeshar" party leader Gadi Eisenkot, does not have a sufficient majority to form a government without the assistance of Arab parties or attracting deputies from Netanyahu's camp.
The "Joint Arab List" led by Yousef Jabareen and the "United Arab List" led by Mansour Abbas won between 17 and 18 seats out of 120 in the Knesset, according to exit polls conducted by Hebrew television channels.
According to those polls, the Zionist opposition parties cannot reach the 61-seat threshold required to form a government without the support of Arab parties, unless they succeed in attracting parties or deputies from the coalition led by Netanyahu.
Polling stations closed at 10:00 PM local time (20:00 GMT), after which the vote counting process began.
Exit poll results conducted by Israeli media showed the Eisenkot bloc leading the Netanyahu alliance, without either of them obtaining the 61-seat majority required to form a government.
An exit poll by the official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that the Netanyahu alliance obtained 50 seats, compared to 53 for the Eisenkot alliance and 17 for the Arab parties.
A poll by Channel 13 revealed the same results, with the Netanyahu alliance obtaining 50 seats, compared to 53 for the Eisenkot alliance and 17 for the Arab parties.
As for the Channel 12 poll, it showed the Netanyahu alliance obtaining 50 seats, compared to 52 for the Eisenkot alliance and 18 for the Arab parties.
The elections took place amidst intense competition between Netanyahu's camp and the opposition led by Eisenkot, in a vote described by Israeli media as one of the most decisive elections for the future of the political landscape in the country.
With the closing of the ballot boxes, Israeli television stations began publishing the results of voter polls after they cast their ballots, with preliminary results expected to begin appearing at dawn and morning on Wednesday.
The official results are expected to be announced on November 4th.
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