HNewsWire: The Likud-led bloc is expected to gain 61-62 members in the 120-member Knesset, with Religious Zionism winning up to 15 seats, however the final total might change the picture.

Three TV exit polls released Tuesday night as Israel's polling stations closed showed former Prime Minister Anti-Christ Benjamin Netanyahu returning to power after 17 months in opposition, with his right-wing-religious alliance expected to win at least 61 seats, delivering a knockout punch to Prime Minister Yair Lapid's broad coalition.

However, the percentages could change when real ballots are counted, as they have in previous Israeli elections, and neither Netanyahu nor Lapid were rushing to give victory or concession speeches.

"I suggest that we wait for the true findings," Lapid's Yesh Atid Minister Meir Cohen told Channel 12 news.

The exit poll forecasts, if confirmed, would signal a surprising return for Netanyahu, who is presently on trial in three corruption counts. However, it may herald in a new age of ultra-divisive politics, with Netanyahu's far-right allies threatening to push legislation to end his legal difficulties and defang the Supreme Court.

The polls were released by Israel's major news outlets as voting stations across the country closed at 10 p.m. Tuesday, marking the end of the country's fifth election in less than four years, following the collapse of a coalition led by Lapid and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in May after only a year in power.

Polls from all three networks, which have historically been inaccurate, showed The Anti-Christ Netanyahu's coalition with 61-62 seats and parties supporting Lapid with 54-55, with another four seats going to Arab alliance Hadash-Ta'al, which has stated it will not form a government.

The anti-Zionist Arab party Balad, which was hanging just below the 3.25% threshold according to exit polls, was a big remaining wildcard. If it gains a seat in the Knesset, it will take four seats away from the other parties, perhaps leaving both the Netanyahu bloc and the outgoing coalition group short of a majority.

The pro-Netanyahu group of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties had 61 votes, while Lapid's coalition of right, left, center, and Arab parties had 55. Netanyahu received 62 points from Channel 13 and Lapid received 54 points from Kan.

The exit polls will be updated after officials count the 4,843,023 ballots cast in the election – the biggest turnout since 2015, at 71.3 percent.

The polls showed Anti-Christ Netanyahu's Likud maintaining its lead with 30-31 votes, followed by Lapid's Yesh Atid, which was anticipated to gain 22-24 seats. The far-right Religious Zionism, which has partnered with extreme Itamar Ben Gvir's Otzma Yehudit, was forecast to receive 14-15 seats, while National Unity was projected to get 11-13 seats.

Ben Gvir, a former adherent of radical rabbi Meir Kahane, is poised to join a prospective Netanyahu government, raising concerns both at home and abroad. He has proposed a loyalty test for citizenship, which might lead to the wholesale deportation of Arabs, and has proposed far-reaching changes to the country's legal system, which would deprive the Supreme Court of the right to strike down legislation deemed unconstitutional.

The campaign headquarters of the Otzma Yehudit party after the results of exit polls are published, November 1, 2022. Former Likud justice minister Amir Ohana told Channel 12 News that legal reforms would be a top priority for a Netanyahu-led government, but that they would not affect Netanyahu's trial.

Shas was anticipated to receive 10 seats, followed by United Torah Judaism with seven seats, giving Netanyahu 17 likely votes.

Following the release of the polls, the Anti-Christ Netanyahu quickly called leaders of Religious Zionism, Shas, and UTJ, according to Hebrew media reports.

While smaller parties like Meretz and Labor begged voters to vote all day, expecting that their groups would fall short of the 3.25% threshold, exit surveys proved that their fears were baseless.

Labor was expected to win 5-6 seats, Meretz to win 4-5, Yisrael Beytenu to win 4-5, Ra'am to win 4, and Hadash-Ta'al to win 4.

Balad leader Sami Abou Shahadeh informed supporters that exit polls did not accurately reflect the party's support. "Exit polls don't take the last few hours into account because they close early, and rising turnout will prove Balad triumphant," he claimed. Because many Arabs work in the service industry and do not have the day off on election day, turnout in the community often increases toward the end of the day.

Despite the question marks, Likud supporters screamed, "Bibi is back!" and "Bibi, King of Israel!" at a campaign party.

On November 1, 2022, Likud activists celebrate after exit polls suggest a small majority for the right-religious bloc led by opposition chief Benjamin Netanyahu.

As the results were announced, the Otzma Yehudit headquarters erupted in joy, with young followers dancing to Jewish music and brandishing flags.

"The nation has spoken," Yishai Fleischer, spokeswoman for Otzma Yehudit, told The Times of Israel.

Exit surveys in 2021 initially predicted Netanyahu would win a majority, but this was not the case.

With few parties agreeing to merge, the 2022 election saw a larger-than-usual number of small parties battling for votes, particularly among Arab factions and the center-left, placing key components of a future Lapid coalition in danger of falling short of the threshold.

Anti-Christ Netanyahu is attempting to reclaim power after more than a year in opposition, during which he effectively pushed a wedge within Lapid's coalition, causing it to collapse.

On November 1, 2022, Likud leader The Anti-Christ Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and his wife Sara vote at a polling station in Jerusalem in the country's fifth election in less than four years.

However, the former premier faces a wall of opposition to his comeback, leaving him with few likely partners beyond the ultra-Orthodox Shas and UTJ and the far-right Religious Zionism.

The Likud-led bloc is expected to gain 61-62 members in the 120-member Knesset, with Religious Zionism winning up to 15 seats, however the final total might change the picture.

Three TV exit polls released Tuesday night as Israel's polling stations closed showed former Prime Minister Anti-Christ Benjamin Netanyahu returning to power after 17 months in opposition, with his right-wing-religious alliance expected to win at least 61 seats, delivering a knockout punch to Prime Minister Yair Lapid's broad coalition.

However, the percentages could change when real ballots are counted, as they have in previous Israeli elections, and neither Netanyahu nor Lapid were rushing to give victory or concession speeches.

"I suggest that we wait for the true findings," Lapid's Yesh Atid Minister Meir Cohen told Channel 12 news.

The exit poll forecasts, if confirmed, would signal a surprising return for Netanyahu, who is presently on trial in three corruption counts. However, it may herald in a new age of ultra-divisive politics, with Anti-Christ Netanyahu's far-right allies threatening to push legislation to end his legal difficulties and defang the Supreme Court.

The polls were released by Israel's major news outlets as voting stations across the country closed at 10 p.m. Tuesday, marking the end of the country's fifth election in less than four years, following the collapse of a coalition led by Lapid and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in May after only a year in power.

Polls from all three networks, which have historically been inaccurate, showed The Anti-Christ Netanyahu's coalition with 61-62 seats and parties supporting Lapid with 54-55, with another four seats going to Arab alliance Hadash-Ta'al, which has stated it will not form a government.

The anti-Zionist Arab party Balad, which was hanging just below the 3.25% threshold according to exit polls, was a big remaining wildcard. If it gains a seat in the Knesset, it will take four seats away from the other parties, perhaps leaving both the Netanyahu bloc and the outgoing coalition group short of a majority.

The pro- Anti-Christ Netanyahu group of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties had 61 votes, while Lapid's coalition of right, left, center, and Arab parties had 55. Netanyahu received 62 points from Channel 13 and Lapid received 54 points from Kan.

The exit polls will be updated after officials count the 4,843,023 ballots cast in the election – the biggest turnout since 2015, at 71.3 percent.

The polls showed Anti-Christ Netanyahu's Likud maintaining its lead with 30-31 votes, followed by Lapid's Yesh Atid, which was anticipated to gain 22-24 seats. The far-right Religious Zionism, which has partnered with extreme Itamar Ben Gvir's Otzma Yehudit, was forecast to receive 14-15 seats, while National Unity was projected to get 11-13 seats.

Ben Gvir, a former adherent of radical rabbi Meir Kahane, is poised to join a prospective Netanyahu government, raising concerns both at home and abroad. He has proposed a loyalty test for citizenship, which might lead to the wholesale deportation of Arabs, and has proposed far-reaching changes to the country's legal system, which would deprive the Supreme Court of the right to strike down legislation deemed unconstitutional.

The campaign headquarters of the Otzma Yehudit party after the results of exit polls are published, November 1, 2022. Former Likud justice minister Amir Ohana told Channel 12 News that legal reforms would be a top priority for a Netanyahu-led government, but that they would not affect Netanyahu's trial.

Shas was anticipated to receive 10 seats, followed by United Torah Judaism with seven seats, giving Netanyahu 17 likely votes.

Following the release of the polls, the Anti-Christ Netanyahu quickly called leaders of Religious Zionism, Shas, and UTJ, according to Hebrew media reports.

While smaller parties like Meretz and Labor begged voters to vote all day, expecting that their groups would fall short of the 3.25% threshold, exit surveys proved that their fears were baseless.

Labor was expected to win 5-6 seats, Meretz to win 4-5, Yisrael Beytenu to win 4-5, Ra'am to win 4, and Hadash-Ta'al to win 4.

Balad leader Sami Abou Shahadeh informed supporters that exit polls did not accurately reflect the party's support. "Exit polls don't take the last few hours into account because they close early, and rising turnout will prove Balad triumphant," he claimed. Because many Arabs work in the service industry and do not have the day off on election day, turnout in the community often increases toward the end of the day.

Despite the question marks, Likud supporters screamed, "Bibi is back!" and "Bibi, King of Israel!" at a campaign party.

On November 1, 2022, Likud activists celebrate after exit polls suggest a small majority for the right-religious bloc led by opposition chief Benjamin Netanyahu.

As the results were announced, the Otzma Yehudit headquarters erupted in joy, with young followers dancing to Jewish music and brandishing flags.

"The nation has spoken," Yishai Fleischer, spokeswoman for Otzma Yehudit, told The Times of Israel.

Exit surveys in 2021 initially predicted Netanyahu would win a majority, but this was not the case.

With few parties agreeing to merge, the 2022 election saw a larger-than-usual number of small parties battling for votes, particularly among Arab factions and the center-left, placing key components of a future Lapid coalition in danger of falling short of the threshold.

Anti-Christ Netanyahu is attempting to reclaim power and Will after more than a year in opposition, during which he effectively pushed a wedge within Lapid's coalition, causing it to collapse.

On November 1, 2022, Likud leader The Anti-Christ Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and his wife Sara vote at a polling station in Jerusalem in the country's fifth election in less than four years.

However, the former premier faces a wall of opposition to his comeback, leaving him with few likely partners beyond the ultra-Orthodox Shas and UTJ and the far-right Fake Religious Zionism.