Benjamin Netanyahu hugs his wife Sara Netanyahu as he addresses his supporters
(Picture: REUTERS)Israel’s former leader Benjamin Netanyahu appeared poised for a dramatic return to power on Wednesday as he declared his right-wing camp was on the cusp of a resounding election win.
With roughly 70 per cent of votes counted, Mr Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party and its likely religious and far-right allies were on track to control a majority in parliament after Israel’s fifth election in less than four years.
“We are on the brink of a very big victory,” a smiling Mr Netanyahu told cheering supporters at his party election headquarters.
The 73-year-old’s alliance with far-right firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose Religious Zionism bloc is on course to become the third-largest party, has alarmed Palestinians and drawn concern among some allies, including the United States.
But Mr Netanyahu, whose position appeared to have strengthened after early exit polls showed him with only a razor-thin majority, vowed to form a “stable, national government,” as the crowd interrupted him singing “Bibi, king of Israel.”
The former premier, who in 2020 forged formal diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, said a government under his leadership would act responsibly, avoid “unnecessary adventures” and “expand the circle of peace”.
The partial tally showed Mr Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges he denies, leading a bloc of four parties taking 67 of the Knesset’s 120 seats.
