Exit polls from the various television stations around Israel are looking promising for the Chareidi parties for the 21st Knesset.

According to the Channel 12 exit poll, Yahadut Hatorah will be the third largest party in the Knesset with a total of 7 mandates. They will follow Likud and Blue and White. Shas received 6 mandates in this poll.

According to channel 13 news, Yahadut Hatorah will come away with 7 mandates and so will Shas. The two will be tied for the third largest parties.

Kan 11 showed similar results.

The bigger challenge will be forming a government as both the right-wing and left-wing blocs factor in at around 60 seats each, (if one includes the Charedim on the right and the Arabs on the left.)

If the exit polls prove to be accurate, than neither Chareidi party will have lost any standing between the 20th and 21st Knessets. Whichever of the two larger parties forms the government in the end, it will likely need one if not both of the Chareidi parties to do so.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has already called leaders of both parties and asked for their support in their recommending to President Ruvi Rivlin that he be given the task of forming the next coalition.

The head of the Degel Hatorah faction Moshe Gafne said that he would recommend to the President that Netanyahu form the next government. Aryeh Deri from Shas told Netanyahu the same thing on the phone when Netanyahu called him.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)