- Wed Apr 10, 2019 7:37 am
#115390
Despite polls and predictions, Israel's Netanyahu wins reelection with parliamentary majority - tally. JERUSALEM, April 10 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured a clear path to reelection on Wednesday, with religious-rightist parties set to hand him a parliamentary majority despite a close contest against his main centrist challenger, a vote tally showed.
With more than 97 percent of votes counted, Netanyahu's conservative Likud party has mustered enough support to control 65 of the Knesset's 120 seats and be named to head the next coalition government - a record fifth term as premier.
Netanyahu highlighted his close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, who delighted Israelis and angered Palestinians by recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017 and moving the U.S. Embassy to the holy city last May.
Two weeks before the election, Trump signed a proclamation, with Netanyahu at his side at the White House, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war.
Trump is expected to release his administration's long-awaited Middle East peace plan now that the election is over and his close friend Netanyahu remains in charge of Israel.