A very big and shocking political news is coming out from Israel, the most important country of the Middle East. After the general elections held in Israel, the counting of votes is going on at a rapid pace, but the initial trends and exit poll data have increased the problems for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the exit polls, Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition seems to be far behind the magic figure of majority, due to which the murmur of political deadlock and change of power has once again intensified in the country. This turmoil in Israeli politics has attracted everyone's attention even at the international level. Let us know in detail what are the current equations being created in these elections for the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) and what is the status of which alliance. What is the magic number of majority to form a government in Israel? According to the rules of Israel's electoral system and parliament, it is mandatory for any party or coalition in the country to get a majority of at least 61 seats in the total 120-seat Parliament (Knesset) to form the government. But the exit poll data released by Israeli TV channels and media after the recently concluded elections shows that no political party or clear faction seems to be reaching this magical figure on its own. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main party 'Likud' can also emerge as the largest party in the Parliament in this election, which is estimated to get 24 to 25 seats alone. Despite this, the entire right-wing and far-right party bloc led by Netanyahu is expected to get a total of only 50 seats, which is far from the majority figure (61). The position of the opposition camp is strong, the block led by Gadi Eizenkot is ahead. On the other hand, an atmosphere of enthusiasm is being seen in the camp of Netanyahu's staunchest opponents and opposition parties. The opposition bloc led by former military chief and prominent opposition leader Gadi Eizenkot is projected to get around 52 to 53 seats in the exit polls. This demonstration by the opposition parties indicates that there is dissatisfaction among a large section of the country's people against the current government. However, the opposition block is also a little behind the figure of 61 seats required to form a government on its own, due to which a situation like a hung parliament seems to be forming in Israeli politics. Due to both the major camps not having a clear majority, the importance of small regional parties and other groups playing the role of kingmakers has increased a lot. Counting of votes continues, 'double envelopes' will decide the real decision of victory or defeat. According to the official information received from Jerusalem, after the completion of the counting of general votes at the polling stations, now the election officials have started the very sensitive and long counting of 'double envelopes'. These special double envelopes contain the votes of all those Israeli citizens who could not go to their designated polling station to vote due to their mandatory duties or professional commitments. These mainly include soldiers deployed on the country's borders, diplomats posted in different countries, and doctors and nurses serving in hospitals. There are approximately 600,000 such special votes, the final and concrete picture will be clear only after their counting is completed. However, election experts believe that generally these envelopes do not cause a major change in the results, yet in this election where there is a close contest and very narrow margin, every seat has a huge value. Despite record voting, fractured mandate, will there be a change of power in Israel? Another biggest feature of this year's Israeli elections was that record breaking voting was recorded in the country, which proves that Jewish-Israeli voters are extremely aware and divided about the political future of their country. This contest for votes between the two major political factions has been almost equal. Analysts also say that if the final results remain around these exit poll figures, then there may once again be a possibility of manipulative politics or the formation of an unstable coalition government in Israel. This election is proving to be the biggest litmus test for Netanyahu so far in terms of his political career and his policies. It remains to be seen whether the opposition parties together succeed in forming the government or whether Netanyahu once again succeeds in saving power with his political shrewdness.
