Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud Party scored a resounding victory in the country's election, final results showed Wednesday, after a tight race that had put his lengthy rule in jeopardy.

With nearly all the votes counted, Likud appeared to have earned 30 out of parliament's 120 seats, in a position to be able to build a coalition government with its right-wing and religious allies with relative ease. Netanyahu had already declared victory late Tuesday after the vote appeared to give him the upper hand in forming the country's next coalition government.

In a statement released on Twitter, Netanyahu said that "against all odds" his Likud party and the nationalist camp secured a "great victory."

Initial exit polls showed Likud deadlocked with the center-left Zionist Union but even before final results were being tallied early Wednesday the poll results indicated that Netanyahu will have an easier time cobbling together a majority coalition with hard-line and religious allies.

Netanyahu said he had already begun to call potential partners.

But Zionist Union chief Isaac Herzog disputed Netanyahu's victory claim, saying "everything is open."

"This result allows us to return to power," Herzog told supporters at party headquarters in Tel Aviv after the exit polls.

"We will wait for the real results — everything is open," he said, adding that he intends to "make every effort to form a real socially-minded government for Israel," and that he had already spoken to some party leaders about putting together a coalition.

Meanwhile, exit polls showed that centrist newcomer Moshe Kahlon could have enough seats to determine who will be the next prime minister. Kahlon, a Likud breakaway, has not said whether he favors Netanyahu or Herzog.

Since the parties all fall short of the required 61-seat majority in parliament, the country will now head into weeks of negotiations amid efforts to form a coalition.

Israel is divided between two major "blocs" of voters — right-wing and religious parties that tend to take a hard line toward the Palestinians, and dovish parties focused on establishing a Palestinian state as part of a peace agreement.

The left wing appeared to have slightly more seats, but would rely heavily on a new Arab List — an alliance of Arab-majority political parties in Israel — that has said it will not sit in a coalition.

That gives Netanyahu and his right-wing allies the upper hand. But Kahlon, who has already demanded control of the finance ministry, is likely to drive a hard bargain before agreeing to join the government.

The vote was largely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu. While he focused his campaign almost entirely on security matters, his opponents, including Kahlon, turned their attention to bread-and-butter issues and the country's high cost of living.

Channel 2 TV's commentator Amnon Abramovitch predicted that Netanyahu would form a rickety coalition, and that "he will be a prisoner in his own government."

Prickly relationship

A fourth Netanyahu term would probably prolong his prickly relationship with Israel's main ally, the United States, at least as long as President Barack Obama is in the White House.

Netanyahu has focused on the threat from Iran's nuclear program, and from armed groups operating in the region. But many Israelis say they are tiring of the message. The center-left's campaign on social and economic issues, especially the high cost of housing and everyday living in Israel, appears to have won support.

In a possible sign of edginess, Netanyahu took to Facebook to denounce what he said was an effort by left-wing nonprofit organizations to get Arab-Israelis out to sway the election against him. "The right-wing government is in danger," he wrote. "Arab voters are going to vote in droves. Left-wing NGOs are bringing them in buses."

That drew a rebuke from Washington, where the Obama administration is already angry with Netanyahu for delivering a speech to Congress opposing its nuclear talks with Iran.

"We’re always concerned, broadly speaking, about any statements that may be aimed at marginalizing certain communities,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

Some political rivals even accused Netanyahu of racism over the remarks.

In the last days of campaigning, Netanyahu had fought to shore up his Likud base and lure voters from other right-wing, nationalist parties, promising more building of Jewish settlements and saying the Palestinians would not get their own state if he were re-elected.

Those sweeping promises, if carried out, would further isolate Israel from the United States and the European Union, which believe a peace deal must accommodate Palestinian demands for a state in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

Hamas official Ismail Radwan said Tuesday that Netanyahu's apparent victory should persuade Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to abandon negotiations with Israel.

"The results should be enough to convince the Palestinian Authority and Fatah Party to forget about the choice of keeping the absurd negotiations," Haaretz quoted him as saying in a statement.

When Netanyahu called the election in December, two years early, he looked set for an easy victory. But in the final weeks there has been a sense that change could be in the air. Some voters have talked of Netanyahu fatigue.

No party has ever won an outright majority in Israel's 67-year history. It is up to Israel's president, after consulting with parties that won seats in parliament, to choose a leader to try to form a coalition.

Wire services
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/3/17/israeli-voting-ends-in-deadlock.html

Upon all the protests the United states sponsored against Nethanyahu... He still won.
That is how it will be in Nigeria come March 28th. Because no matter what The USA is doing against GEJ, he will still win the presidential election.

Netanyahu has not won the elections and even if he does win 30% of the votes may not be able to firm a government. Even if he forms a government he will have to do the economic programs of the opposition, the economy is almost what wrecked him not defence abd security. The only reason Netanyahu probably did well was because of standing tall to Iran.
For GEJ, a local ijaw man who became president, security and corruption is what is wrecking hmm. No executive president can survive on a tag of weakness in security matters and stealing the money of the majority and giving it to a minority.

That is why I like Isreal; no one dictates to them how they run there things locally. They can join forces with their international allieds for international matters, but want no interference in local matters. Congrats to Netanyahu

Netanyahu the war monger. Worse than George Bush.

Congrats to Netanyahu next up is GEJ come march 28th

SkyBlue1:
Netanyahu the war monger. Worse than George Bush.

Lols! As if your hero Obama was peaceful.
We have a lot of hypocrites like you in the world today,lousy and mouthy but worse than Lucifer.

SkyBlue1:
Netanyahu the war monger. Worse than George Bush.

this is your opinion and it means nothing now that he has won... Obama should now go and hang himself... no he should not hang now until after GEJ has won too