Israel elections, Netanyahu in the lead with 54 seats. Arab parties boom with 18 seats. LIVE

The first political elections were held in Israel after the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 and the war that followed. We were voting to renew the Knesset, that is, the parliament, and to define the next government. A head-to-head seems to be looming between the outgoing Prime Minister Netanyahu and his challenger Eisenkot, even if no coalition seems to be able to reach a majority. Trump on Truth: "With my support Netanyahu went from knockout to victory."

With 72.4% of the ballots counted, the partial results published by the Central Election Commission attribute 54 seats to the pro-Netanyahu bloc and 48 to the bloc led by Eisenkot. Arab parties now have 18 seats after Ra'am gained two.

The definitive turnout was 77.7% (+7.1%), reported the Central Electoral Commission. The figure already exceeds the overall turnout of 70.6% recorded in the 2022 elections. So far, 5,444,277 people have voted.

There were over 7 million voters: there are 36 parties in the running, of which only 13 were detected in the polls because they exceeded the threshold of 3.25%. The final results will be made official only eight days after the vote, i.e. on November 4th. This is because counting "double envelopes", i.e. those who vote far from their place of residence, such as soldiers, diplomats and hospitalized people, takes longer. At stake in this election is not only the future of the Jewish State, but also the balance in the Middle East.

Whatever the outcome of the elections in Israel, French diplomacy will maintain its "course" and continue to promote a two-state solution, Israeli and Palestinian, living side by side "in peace". French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot declared this on France 2. "Our course will not change", whether the coalition of outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or the opposition bloc wins, he said, later noting that the record participation rate shows that "the Israeli people had something to say". "We have to wait for the end of the counting," he continued. "We must let things take their course. We must accept the governments that people choose to give themselves. This is how we proceed, this is how we work and this is how we will do it", he added.

Barrot finally underlined "the result of the Arab parties, which have achieved historic percentages". "This will undoubtedly weigh on the choices of the future government, since there will be a new force in Parliament, or in any case a more substantial force", he concluded.