Benjamin Netanyahu claims 'major victory' in Israel election
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves to supporters as reacts to exit poll figures in Israel's parliamentary elections late on March 17, 2015 in the city of Tel Aviv. Netanyahu will be asked to form Israel's next government later Wednesday. AFP PHOTO | MENAHEM KAHANA
What you need to know:
- Exit polls published on two TV stations had given Likud and Zionist Union 27 seats each in the 120-member parliament.
- The Palestinians vowed to step up their diplomatic campaign for statehood.
TEL AVIV
Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu claimed a "major victory" after exit polls showed his right-wing Likud neck-and-neck with the centre-left Zionist Union in Tuesday's general election.
"Against all odds: a great victory for the Likud. A major victory for the people of Israel!" he wrote on his official Twitter account.
The preliminary vote count put his Likud party well ahead of its nearest rivals in a result likely to further strain relations with the Palestinians.
With around 70 per cent of votes counted, Likud was leading with 23.73 per cent, the Central Elections Committee said, with the centre-left Zionist Union trailing on 19.06 per cent.
The initial results seemed to ensure Netanyahu a third straight term.
Exit polls published on two TV stations had given Likud and Zionist Union 27 seats each in the 120-member parliament. A third poll gave Likud a one-seat lead.
Netanyahu had put security at the forefront of his campaign, arguing he is the only one capable of protecting Israel from an Iranian nuclear threat and vowing never to allow the Palestinians to establish a capital in east Jerusalem.
The Palestinians vowed to step up their diplomatic campaign for statehood.
