Israel elections: Netanyahu in lead, exit polls say - bbc.com

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is connected people for triumph successful the country's wide election, exit polls say.

The projections springiness his right-wing bloc a slim bulk of seats implicit his centre-left opponents led by existent Prime Minister Yair Lapid.

Such a effect would people a melodramatic comeback for Mr Netanyahu, toppled past twelvemonth aft 12 consecutive years successful power.

"We are adjacent to a large victory," helium told jubilant supporters successful Jerusalem.

The predetermination was wide seen arsenic a ballot for oregon against Mr Netanyahu's return.

The exit polls suggest Mr Netanyahu's bloc volition bid 61 oregon 62 seats successful the 120-seat knesset (parliament). Initial results are expected successful the coming hours.

Mr Netanyahu, accompanied by his woman Sara, appeared astatine his Likud party's predetermination nighttime venue astatine 03:00 (01:00 GMT) to thunderous applause.

"We person won a immense ballot of assurance from the radical of Israel," helium told his cheering supporters.

Since the exit polls were announced hours earlier erstwhile voting ended, the country had been a country of solemnisation arsenic radical jumped up and down, waved flags and chanted Netanyahu's nickname, Bibi. One antheral repeatedly blew a shofar, oregon ram's horn, a ritual instrumentality utilized by immoderate Jewish radical astatine times of peculiar significance.

At his party's campy successful Tel Aviv however, Prime Minister Lapid told his supporters that "nothing" was yet decided and his centre-left Yesh Atid enactment would hold for the last results.

Mr Netanyahu, 73, is 1 of Israel's astir arguable governmental figures, loathed by galore connected the centre and near but adored by Likud's grassroots supporters.

He is simply a steadfast protagonist of Israel's settlement-building successful the West Bank, occupied since the 1967 Middle East war. Settlements determination are considered amerciable nether planetary law, though Israel disputes this.

He opposes the instauration of a Palestinian authorities successful the West Bank and Gaza Strip arsenic a solution to the Israel-Palestinian struggle - a look supported by astir of the planetary community, including the Biden medication successful the US.

Mr Netanyahu is besides presently connected proceedings for alleged bribery, fraud and breach of spot - charges helium fiercely denies. His imaginable partners successful a Likud-led conjugation authorities person said they would betterment the law, successful a determination which would bring a halt to his trial.

According to the exit polls, Likud stands to beryllium the biggest party, with 30-31 seats, commanding a bulk with the enactment of nationalist and spiritual parties.

Yesh Atid, which led the conjugation which brought down Mr Netanyahu successful elections past year, is forecast to triumph 22-24 seats.

Likud's ultra-nationalist state Religious Zionism appears to person won 14 seats, which would marque it the 3rd largest party. Its leaders person gained notoriety for utilizing anti-Arab rhetoric and advocating the deportation of "disloyal" politicians oregon civilians.

"It volition beryllium amended now," said Religious Zionism supporter, Julian, astatine the party's venue successful Jerusalem.

"When [Religious Zionism person Itamar Ben-Gvir] volition beryllium curate of nationalist security, it volition beryllium adjacent amended - he'll bring backmost information to the radical of Israel. That's precise important."

However, governmental idiosyncratic Gayil Talshir, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, warned that if the exit polls "reflect the existent results, Israel is connected its mode to go Orban's Hungary", precocious branded an "electoral autocracy" by the EU.

If the polls are confirmed, it volition stave disconnected the imaginable of a sixth predetermination successful conscionable 4 years aft analysts predicted deadlock.

It would people a singular turnaround for Mr Netanyahu, whose governmental aboriginal was wide written disconnected aft Mr Lapid formed an improbable confederation of ideologically divers parties to instrumentality powerfulness successful June 2021, with the uniting purpose of making it intolerable for Mr Netanyahu to signifier a government.

At the time, Mr Netanyahu vowed to bring it down arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable and 1 twelvemonth aboriginal the conjugation authorities concluded it could not past and collapsed aft resignations meant it nary longer had a majority.