JERUSALEM: Benjamin Netanyahu won the support of an unexpectedly clear majority of Israeli Jews in an election billed as a major turning point in his nation's history, apparently ensuring he will survive as prime minister at least in a caretaker role.
With around 70.7 per cent of votes tallied on Wednesday morning, Israeli media forecast Netanyahu's bloc of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties winning 54 seats in parliament, far surpassing 47 for the opposition bloc of rival Gadi Eisenkot. Parties representing Israelis of Arab descent would win 19.
The results could still change as counting continued, but a victory for Eisenkot appeared increasingly out of reach, as his bloc of anti-Netanyahu parties from centre-left to hard-right underperformed pre-election polls that forecast a tight race.
