Israel’s Netanyahu inches closer to power with victory confirmed

JERUSALEM - Mr Benjamin Netanyahu was officially confirmed as the victor in Israel’s elections, putting the former prime minister on track to form a right-wing coalition government that could complicate foreign relations. 

Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party won the highest percentage of the vote on Nov 1, Israel’s Central Elections Committee said on Wednesday.

That translates into 32 seats in the 120-member Parliament, the Knesset. 

Incumbent Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party won 24 seats, while the far-right Religious Zionism coalition – a likely partner in a government led by Mr Netanyahu – came in third with 14 seats. 

Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to ask Mr Netanyahu to form a government in the next four weeks. If no agreement is reached after this time, the President has the authority to grant him an additional 14 days to try and do so.  

Mr Netanyahu, 73, is widely expected to partner with Religious Zionism and the country’s two ultra-orthodox parties – Shas and United Torah Judaism – which won 11 and seven seats, respectively. 

The right-wing coalition gives Mr Netanyahu, who was Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, the chance to return to office after less than 18 months in opposition. 

But he does this by choosing to lean on support from a number of once-fringe politicians whose stances on minority rights – particularly Arab-Israeli and Palestinian rights – have deepened domestic tensions and drawn rebuke from the United States. 

Among them is Mr Itamar Ben-Gvir, a 46-year-old lawyer who was convicted in 2007 of racist incitement against Arabs and support for Kach, a group on the Israeli and US terrorism blacklists.

Before the vote, Mr Ben-Gvir said he wants to be public security minister – a role that would give him oversight of the country’s police forces. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS