His victory exceeded all expectations. Netanyahu celebrates his electoral victory

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at dawn today Tuesday celebrated his "great victory" in the general elections, as exit polls put voters in a strong position to form the next government and face accusations of corruption, while his opponent, leader of the "Blue White" party, Benny Gantz, admitted "disappointment".

In his speech on the occasion of his party's victory in the Knesset elections, Netanyahu said that he would invite his allies from the right-wing camp leaders to start forming the Israeli government.

He added that winning the elections was difficult, and he was determined to form a strong national government, noting that the victory came contrary to expectations and it is time to end the election rounds and work to form a national government immediately.

"This victory tonight, which exceeded all expectations, is greater than the victory of 1996," Netanyahu said in a speech to his supporters and to the Israeli people broadcast by TV channels.

"We will implement our electoral promises, the most important of which is the immediate start of annexing the Jordan Valley and settlements in the West Bank," he added.

His supporters chanted during his speech and chanted, "Bibi, king of Israel, shall remain alive."

Netanyahu added, "We went from house to house and from street to street and we visited the country along its length and width, and we met the citizens of the State of Israel, where we had to convince some and pass on to them our infection of enthusiasm."

"They had confidence in us, because they knew we had brought the best of Israel."

Accusations and corruption
In November, 70-year-old Netanyahu, including 14 years in office, became the first prime minister in the history of Israel to face judicial charges while in office.

The trial is expected to start on March 17 in Jerusalem, which increases the importance of his victory. If he and his allies manage to obtain a parliamentary majority, he will appear before the judiciary from a position of strength and will maintain his position.

"We have turned Israel into a great country, we have developed international relations that did not exist with Arab and Islamic countries, and with international leaders, including Arab countries, they are more than you can imagine, and when I say that we will conclude peace treaties with Arab countries, I do not speak linguistically, behind the hill what Behind it, we are only able and no one but us. "

Opinion polls showed Netanyahu ahead of his opponent, Gantz.

Surveys conducted by three TV channels also showed that the right-wing bloc and its Likud party, to which Netanyahu belongs, will gain sixty seats, and will need one additional vote to form a government with a majority of 61 deputies out of 120 in the Knesset.

For his part, Benny Gantz, leader of the "Blue and White" coalition, expressed his disappointment with the election results.

Gantz said his alliance faced an election campaign of its own low level that Israel has never seen before.

He added to his supporters that his alliance will remain united and that Israel now needs unity and reconciliation. He indicated that he will continue to follow this approach even if the path to achieve this is long.

"I will say honestly, I understand and share with you a feeling of frustration and pain, because it is not the result that we wanted and it is not the result that will bring Israel back on the right track."

And what Israel needs now, Gantz said, "At this time, the state needs recovery, it needs unity, it needs reconciliation, and it is yearning for continuous leadership. This is what we will continue to provide to the Israeli public we have come to serve."

Surveys and numbers
Monday's general elections are the third in Israel in less than a year. The previous two rounds produced very close results between the Netanyahu and Gantz parties, which prevented either of them from forming a government coalition with the required majority in the Knesset.

6.4 million Israelis were invited to vote and more than ten thousand polling stations opened their doors to voters.

The polls indicated that the Likud party alone may win 36 or 37 seats in the Knesset, compared to 32 or 33 for a "blue and white" coalition headed by former General Gantz.

The polls predicted that Gantz, along with his left-wing and center-left Zionist allies, could score between 52 and 54 seats.

Likewise, the right-wing Avigdor Lieberman, a secular right-wing party, will receive six to eight seats.

These results are not final and unofficial, and partial official results will be announced at a later time, after all the votes of the soldiers, diplomats and prisoners have been counted.

According to the polls, the "joint list" of the Arab-Israeli parties will get 14 to 15 seats, the highest number of Arabs in the history of the Knesset elections, if true.