Israel’s long-serving former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be on the cusp of a return to power, with the help of his right-wing allies, after exit polls from the country’s fifth election in four years suggested his Likud Party and its partners had secured the 61-seats needed for a majority to form a new government.
Since Mr Netanyahu’s ousting in 2021, Israel has been stranded in political deadlock under his successor Naftali Bennett, whose coalition premiership gradually fell apart after becoming riven with disagreements and factional in-fighting before its inevitable collapse in June.
