Netanyahu claims Israel election victory

Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed victory in the Monday’s general election, with partial results putting him ahead of main rival Benny Gantz. The election was Israel’s third in less than a year.
With 90% of votes counted, Netanyahu’s Likud party and its right-wing allies were on course to win 59 seats, local media reported. Likud had 29.35%, while Gantz’s centrist Blue and White alliance got 26.34% of the vote, the Central Elections Committee said.
Netanyahu declared the outcome “the biggest win of my life”.
“Our rivals said: the Netanyahu era is over. But with joined forces, we turned the situation around. We turned lemons into lemonade!”, Netanyahu told his supporters, and promised to build “a strong and stable government” as soon as possible. “We must avoid any more elections. It’s time to heal the rifts”, he said.
Neither of the two main party leaders was able to command a majority in the 120-seat parliament following the last two rounds. 61 seats are needed to control the Knesset. Netanyahu is seeking a fifth term, having been in office from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009.
The election took place two weeks before Netanyahu is due in court to face corruption charges. The trial begins on 17 March. He denies the allegations against him.