Israel: PM Modi greets 'dear friend' Netanyahu on poll results

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated his "dear friend" Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu as unofficial results projected a clear win for the right-wing leader in Israel's April 9 elections for the 21st Knesset.

This will be Netanyahu's record fifth term as the Prime Minister of Israel, once the official results are announced.

"My dear friend Bibi, Congratulations! You are a great friend of India, and I look forward to continuing to work with you to take our bilateral partnership to new heights," Prime Minister Modi tweeted on April 10.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, the first to wish Netanyahu on his projected win, outlined the people's approval of Netanyahu's leadership.

"Congratulations to Prime Minister @netanyahu for an excellent showing in yesterday's national elections. While the official results have yet not been published, one matter is clear: you have - once again - gained the trust of the people of #Israel in record numbers," he tweeted.

"I am looking forward to working with you in the future, for the benefit of the people of Israel and the people of Austria," he added.

The elections for the 120-seat Knesset or National Legislature was viewed as a closely fought battle between Netanyahu's Likud Party and opposition candidate Benny Gantz's Blue and White party.

Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini also congratulated Netanyahu on Wednesday. "Good job to my friend Bibi Netanyahu and a hug to the people of Israel," he tweeted.

More than 6.3 million voters exercised their franchise to elect members of the Israeli national legislature in 10,000 polling stations across the country on April 9.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation, however, condemned the results, with its Secretary General Saeb Erakat saying that the Israelis have "said no to peace and yes to occupation, "according to The Times of Israel.

"What the early results suggest is that Israelis have voted to preserve the status quo, they have said no to peace and yes to the occupation. The fact that only 14 out of 120 elected members of the Israeli parliament support the two-state solution on the 1967," Erakat said on April 10.