Israeli election: Netanyahu appears on track for victory despite tied result
Benjamin Netanyahu was on track on Wednesday morning to become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, despite his Likud party winning the same number of seats as his rivals, The Guardian reports.
With 97% of votes counted, both Likud and the Blue and White party, led by former army general Benny Gantz, had won 35 seats in the 120-seat parliament, the Knesset.
However, results showed Netanyahu would be in a much better position to form a majority governing coalition made up of nationalist, far-right and religious allies. Gantz had fewer potential factions to partner with.
Reelection would give Netanyahu a boost as he faces the looming prospect of three damning corruption indictments, with a pre-trial hearing set to begin in the coming weeks. A continuation of his 10-year rule also deadens hopes of an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi said Israelis had “chosen an overwhelmingly rightwing, Xenophobic and anti-Palestinian parliament to represent them”.
Final results might not be in until Wednesday afternoon, or later, and the coalition building process could take weeks.