With over 90% votes counted, Netanyahu on course to become Israel PM

Benjamin Netanyahu is inches away from becoming the new prime minister of Israel. Thursday's vote count revealed that he holds a nearly unassailable lead over his opponent Prime Minister Yair Lapid. More than 90 per cent of ballots have been counted, according to the Central Elections Committee, and the numbers favour Netanyahu's right-wing bloc in the country's fifth election in four years.

His Likud party, its ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies and a far-right alliance called Religious Zionism will together form what might be the most right-wing government in Israeli history. The bloc that supports Netanyahu held 65 seats while the remaining votes were being counted. The US State Department is reportedly concerned about the prospect of far-right ministers in a future coalition government.

Also Read |Former PM Netanyahu says his camp is on brink of a huge win

Meanwhile, Lapid has not conceded defeat yet and has asked everyone to wait until all votes were counted to reach a conclusion.

Netanyahu's margin of victory is likely to witness a slight change if the left-wing Meretz party manages to secure a minimum of four parliament seats, which it looks set to achieve. Whenever Netanyahu's victory is confirmed, he will be given 42 days by President Isaac Herzog to form a government.

Local media reports suggest that Netanyahu has already started talking to coalition parties about how the government should look like. He will need to hand out Cabinet roles and co-leaders of far-right Religious Zionism, expected to win 14 seats, are likely to end up with prominent roles.

Itamar Ben-Gvir has shown inclination to become the public security minister, putting him in charge of the police. Ben-Gvir is known for his anti-Arab rhetoric and calls for Israel to annex the entire West Bank. He has been telling security services to use more force to control Palestinian unrest.

"It's time we go back to being masters of our country," Ben-Gvir had said on election night.

Violence across Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank has soared in the past few weeks. On Thursday, an unidentified assailant stabbed an Israeli officer in Jerusalem's Old City before being shot dead, police said.

(With inputs from agencies)