Israel election: Netanyahu trails by a seat with majority votes counted

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party trailed its main rival Blue and White by 31 to 32 seats Wednesday after an unprecedented repeat election, putting the country's longest serving premier on a shaky ground and raising the possibility of a unity government.

Israelis voted on Tuesday in their country's second general election in five months after 69-year-old Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition with a viable majority following April's vote.

The Central Election Committee (CEC) said that Blue and White party seemed to be taking a lead over Likud after 91 per cent votes were counted.

As per figures shared by the CEC, the centre-left bloc now has 56 seats compared to Netanyahu-led bloc, comprised of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties, which is at 55 seats in the 120-member Parliament. The Joint List, an alliance of mostly Arab Israeli parties, also has gained a seat standing at 13. These numbers may change slightly when the votes of soldiers are counted later Wednesday and Thursday.

The secular Yisrael Beitenu party won 9 seats, making its leader and former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman the kingmaker in the elections, as predicted earlier in the exit polls.

On Wednesday morning, 61-year-old Lieberman, an ally-turned-rival of Netanyahu, asserted that he will not join any coalition.

He said that "the picture is clear...There is only one option and it's a broad liberal unity government" comprising of Likud, Blue and White and his own Yisrael Beitenu.

The ultra-Orthodox Shas got nine seats. United Torah Judaism has 8, Yamina has 7, Labour-Gesher is at 6 and the Democratic Camp has 5.

According to reports Netanyahu has rejected the idea of a coalition that would include the Joint List as a partner, saying there cannot be a government that relies on parties that praise and glorify bloodthirsty terrorists who kill our soldiers, our citizens, our children.

Gantz, 60, on Wednesday told supporters that his party's campaign had "completed the mission."