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Exit Polls Lift Netanyahu Bloc as TA-90 Drops 3.5%

By Drooid · Oct 29, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange opened sharply lower after exit polls showed Netanyahu’s bloc gaining strength.
The TA-90 index fell 3.5% as banking and real-estate stocks each lost over 3%.
The shekel weakened to roughly 3.09 per dollar and 3.44 per euro after the exit polls.
Prico Group CEO Joseph Fraiman warned the dollar could rise to 3.20 shekels based on updated results.

Summary

Analyst Daniel Bergvall of SEB warned that forming a government will be difficult in Israel.
William Jackson of Capital Economics said the next government will likely be fragile and could trigger another election.
Exit polls showed Netanyahu’s bloc at roughly 55-57 seats while the opposition bloc fell to about 47-50 seats.
The shekel slipped to 3.1185 per dollar, marking its worst day in 16 months.

History

On 29 May 1996 Israel held its first direct prime-ministerial election, where Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud victory edged Shimon Peres by just 29,457 votes and formed a 66-seat coalition. The narrow win showed how electoral uncertainty can reshape politics, a pattern analysts warn may repeat as today’s exit polls project Netanyahu’s bloc near 55 Knesset seats.

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On 29 May 1996 Israel held its first direct prime-ministerial election, where Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud victory edged Shimon Peres by just 29,457 votes and formed a 66-seat coalition. The narrow win showed how electoral uncertainty can reshape politics, a pattern analysts warn may repeat as today’s exit polls project Netanyahu’s bloc near 55 Knesset seats.

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