Netanyahu in lead, Israel election exit polls say

Netanyahu is also currently on trial for alleged bribery, fraud and breach of trust – charges he fiercely denies. His possible partners in a Likud-led coalition government have said they would reform the law, in a move which would bring a halt to his trial.

Israel TV exit polls suggest Netanyahu’s bloc will command 61 or 62 seats in the 120-seat knesset (parliament).

“It looks like we can be optimistic and have some hope we are about to get a stable coalition with Bibi [Mr Netanyahu] as the prime minister,” said 34-year-old Likud supporter David Adler, from Jerusalem.

“But as it’s been in the past three years, nothing is sure until the coalition is set up,” he cautioned.

According to the polls, Likud stands to be the biggest party, with 30-31 seats, commanding a majority with the support of nationalist and religious parties.

The centre-left party of incumbent Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who brought down Netanyahu in elections last year, is forecast to win 22-24 seats.

Likud’s ultra-nationalist ally Religious Zionism appears to have won 14 seats, which would make it the third largest party. Its leaders have gained notoriety for using anti-Arab rhetoric and advocating the deportation of “disloyal” politicians or civilians.

“It will be better now,” said Religious Zionism supporter, Julian, at the party’s venue in Jerusalem. “When [Religious Zionism politician Itamar Ben-Gvir] will be minister of public security, it will be even better – he’ll bring back security to the people of Israel. That’s very important.”

However, political scientist Gayil Talshir, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, warned that if the exit polls “reflect the real results, Israel is on its way to become Orban’s Hungary”, recently branded an “electoral autocracy” by the EU.

If the polls are confirmed, it will stave off the prospect of a sixth election in just four years after analysts predicted deadlock.

It would mark a remarkable turnaround for Netanyahu, whose political future was widely written off after Lapid formed an unlikely alliance of ideologically diverse parties to take power in June 2021.

At the time, Netanya