An aide to Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has sparked controversy after calling Israeli voters "stupid" in reaction to exit polls suggesting a significant decline in support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing parliamentary bloc.
Oshar Gabbai, an aide to Ben-Gvir, made the remark during a video recording as election projections indicated that the Otzma Yehudit party, led by the national security minister, was expected to secure between six and seven seats in the Knesset.
In the footage, Gabbai appeared visibly disappointed as the results of an exit poll conducted by Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11 were discussed.
When asked whether he was disappointed by the projections, Gabbai responded in Hebrew: "The people of Israel are stupid."
The comment came amid projections of a substantial electoral setback for Netanyahu's political alliance.
According to exit polls reported by most Israeli media outlets, Netanyahu's right-wing bloc, which includes Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit, was projected to secure between 51 and 52 seats in the 120-member Knesset.
The projected result would represent a sharp decline from the 68 seats held by Netanyahu's outgoing governing coalition.
With 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority, the projections suggested that Netanyahu's bloc could fall short of the threshold needed to form a government independently.
Although Otzma Yehudit was projected to retain parliamentary representation, the broader decline in support for the right-wing alliance raised questions about Netanyahu's ability to assemble another governing coalition.
The exit polls remain preliminary, however, and the final seat distribution will depend on the official vote count, with full results expected on November 4th.
Video sourced from TRT World: