Netanyahu and Rival Eisenkot Vie for Israeli Leadership After Election Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, are locked in a competitive struggle for leadership after Tuesday's election. The vote has resulted in no clear winner, with both sides falling short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Israeli Prime Minister and leader of the Likud party, Benjamin Netanyahu, and rival Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief and leader of the Yashar party, offered competing claims to lead Israel after Tuesday's election. Exit polls showed no clear winner, with both sides short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Netanyahu's bloc was projected to win 55 seats, while Eisenkot's bloc was projected to win 50 seats, with 15 seats going to Arab parties. The distribution of seats will likely change as more votes are tallied. Both Netanyahu and Eisenkot said they did not claim victory and would need to wait for the final results.Arab parties unlikely allies for Israeli blocsNetanyahu's bloc is unlikely to form a government with Arab parties, which campaigned on a platform of bringing down the prime minister and his far-right allies. Eisenkot has also ruled out forming a government with Arab parties, complicating his path to power. Voter turnout was 77.7 per cent, the highest in over two decades. Netanyahu called for the formation of a strong, right-wing national government and highlighted Israel's military successes.He also raised the prospect of renewed joint action with US President Donald Trump against Iran. Trump said the endorsement he gave Netanyahu helped him a lot and predicted that Netanyahu would perform well in the election. Eisenkot said the public had voted against Netanyahu remaining prime minister and urged him to retire from politics. He also warned against the use of Israel's security for political purposes.Netanyahu urged his supporters to cast their votes, calling it an 'emergency' and a 'matter of life and death'. Many voters were emotional about the election, with some saying it was critical and that they had never voted in an election as critical as this one.Voters emotional over election and war concernsIn Jerusalem, a voter who had come from a kibbutz that was attacked on October 7 said she had voted to remove Netanyahu as prime minister and bring an end to wars that were causing suffering for Israelis. In Tel Aviv, families of those killed in the 2023 Hamas-led attack and families of former hostages held a moment of silence. They called for remembrance of all those whose voices are no more.Some voters said they only trusted Netanyahu to keep them secure, while others said they were voting for change. Israel faces a singular historical opportunity to remove the existential threat of Iran, but ulterior motives must not divert us from this sacred mission.