Benjamin Netanyahu's 'victory speech' as he claims he has won Israel election
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced “We are waiting for the official results, which will show that the Likud is the largest party in Israel.” A riled up crowd chanted, sang and cheered as Mr Netanyahu spoke early Wednesday morning as the votes were being tallied, with Mr Netanyahu joining in one of the songs.
TL;DR
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the official election results would show the Likud as the largest party in Israel.
- Exit polls initially suggested Netanyahu's opponents had an edge, but revised polls indicated his Likud party would be the largest in parliament.
- Neither Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot appeared to secure the 61 seats needed for a majority government.
- Forming a coalition is uncertain and may take weeks of negotiations, potentially involving Arab-led parties.
- Voter turnout was high, exceeding previous elections.
- Netanyahu called for a strong, right-wing government and criticized Arab-led parties.