Binyamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party wins a surprise victory against the centre-left Zionist Union in Israel’s election.
In a four-day pre-election blitz, Mr Netanyahu made a series of promises designed to shore up his Likud base and draw voters from other right-wing and nationalist parties, including a pledge to go on building settlements on occupied land and saying that there would be no Palestinian state if he is re-elected.
With 99.5 per cent of votes counted, Likud had won 30 seats in the 120-member Knesset, comfortably defeating the Zionist Union opposition on 24 seats, Israeli media said.
It amounted to a dramatic victory – the last opinion polls published four days before the vote showed the Zionist Union with a four-seat advantage over Likud.
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In a statement, Likud said Mr Netanyahu intended to form a new government within weeks, with negotiations already underway with the pro-settler Jewish Home party led by Naftali Bennett, as well as with religious groups.
The critical party to get on side will be centrist Kulanu, led by former Likud member Moshe Kahlon, who won 10 seats, making him a kingmaker given his ability to side with either Mr Netanyahu or the centre-left opposition.
“Reality is not waiting for us,” Mr Netanyahu said. “The citizens of Israel expect us to quickly put together a leadership that will work for them regarding security, economy and society as we committed to do – and we will do so.”
On Wednesday Palestinian leaders called for international pressure on Israel and support for their unilateral moves toward statehood after Mr Netanyahu’s election win.
Mr Netanyahu’s surprise victory, after pledging in the final days of the campaign that there would be no Palestinian state as long as he was in power, left Palestinians grim about prospects for a negotiated solution to a decades-old conflict.
“It is clear Israel has voted for burying the peace process, against the two-state choice and for the continuation of occupation and settlement,” Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator in talks with Israel that collapsed in April, said.