Jerusalem (AFP) - The camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ahead of his rival’s opposition bloc but still short of a majority on Wednesday after two-thirds of the votes were counted in Israel’s pivotal general election.

Voters turned out in the highest numbers in decades to give their verdict on Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, who has pushed the country sharply to the right and unleashed a wave of wars in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.

Following the vote, both Netanyahu and his main rival Gadi Eisenkot vowed to form a government despite neither being projected to win a majority.

With 66 percent of ballots counted, Netanyahu’s bloc was shown to have 54 of the 120 seats in the parliament.

Eisenkot’s opposition bloc had 48 seats and the country’s non-aligned Arab parties 18. The partial results are likely to change as more votes are counted.

Exit polls had shown that Eisenkot, a former military chief and political novice, and his opposition bloc were neck-and-neck with Netanyahu’s hard-right camp, with both winning about 51 seats, well away from the threshold for a majority.

The strongest gains went to Arab Israeli parties whose voters turned out in soaring numbers against Netanyahu, who has relentlessly warned that the minority would dilute the Jewish nationalist direction in which he has taken Israel.

The partial results suggest that Eisenkot’s bloc would have enough seats for a majority if it entered into a coalition agreement with the Arab parties, something most of its members expressed reluctance to do on the campaign trail.

But Yair Golan, the head of Israel’s main left-wing party, which is part of Eisenkot’s camp, called for precisely that on Wednesday.

“We must no longer accept Netanyahu’s racist division between Jewish votes and Arab votes,” he said on X. “We have a responsibility. And we have an opportunity to form a government of change in partnership with Israel’s Arab citizens.”

Eisenkot had said during the campaign he would not govern with Israeli Arab lawmakers, echoing the position of Netanyahu, who has suggested a government relying on Arab votes would lack legitimacy.

Arab lawmakers could also give Eisenkot support in parliamentary votes on an ad hoc basis, enabling him to maintain a minority government without joining a coalition.

A lack of clear majority for either camp could mean weeks spent trying to cobble together coalitions, with possible new elections on the horizon if negotiations fail.

A stalemate could in the immediate term benefit Netanyahu, who would remain caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed.

Full results are expected by Thursday evening or Friday morning.

Netanyahu, greeting cheering supporters at a Jerusalem convention centre after 3 am (0100 GMT) on Wednesday morning, called for a “strong government of the right” and said the “Jewish and Zionist majority must unite”.

The 77-year-old prime minister, who has governed Israel on and off for nearly two decades, was unusually brief and did not directly claim victory.

US President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that his endorsement of Netanyahu had helped “a lot”.

- ‘Public voted for change’ -

Speaking to supporters in Tel Aviv, 66-year-old Eisenkot issued a warning to Netanyahu, who observers say could use renewed war to push for a unity government.

“Netanyahu, don’t you dare use Israel’s security for your political needs,” Eisenkot said.

He called Netanyahu “a caretaker prime minister, without a mandate or the people’s trust”.

The vote came as Israel faces increasing isolation on the world stage, driven by the wars in Iran and Gaza, as well as soaring settlement construction and violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Eisenkot shares many of Netanyahu’s views on security and has backed the Gaza offensive that has reduced the territory to rubble.

But he has vowed to create a more inclusive atmosphere inside Israel, repair its international standing and rein in violent West Bank settlers.

After a turnout of nearly 78 percent, the highest since 1999, Eisenkot said it would be a mistake to hold a second election and vowed to work “swiftly” to form a government.

“The public has voted for change,” he said. “A worthy leader would accept the people’s vote of no confidence and announce his retirement from political life today.”

Exit polls had shown Israeli Arab lists projected to win 18 or 19 seats, a sharp gain.

Arab Israelis, also known as Palestinian citizens of Israel, account for about 21 percent of the country’s population.