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Intel: How Netanyahu is in good shape to win reelection despite trailing his rival

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks past a Likud election campaign poster depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem April 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC1CC13589E0

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be in good shape to win an unprecedented fifth term, according to exit polls from today’s legislative elections in Israel. Early results show Netanyahu’s Likud Party trailing his main rival Benny Gantz’s Blue and White coalition by one seat, with the Likud winning 36 Knesset seats to the Blue and White's 37. But a Likud alliance with right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties would garner 64 seats, past the 61-seat threshold needed to form a government.

Why it matters:  Netanyahu’s reliance on right-wing allies means he could have a hard time climbing down from some of his more extreme promises during the campaign, including extending Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank settlements and opposing full Palestinian statehood.

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