Likud Party chief Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday expressed confidence on retaining power despite exit polls showing Benny Gantz, his direct rival from the Blue and White party, taking a slight edge over him in the country's recently culminated snap general polls.
Israel's major television channels predicted a Likud-led coalition at 54-57 seats, coming short of four seats needed to form a government in the Knesset (unicameral national legislature), the Times of Israel reported.
Meanwhile, in a speech at Tel Aviv Expo Center on Wednesday, Netanyahu said, "There cannot be a government that relies on parties that praise and glorify blood-thirsty terrorists who kill our soldiers, our citizens, our children.''
Netanyahu further expressed his plans to create a 'strong Zionist' government and thwart the formation of an 'anti-Zionist' government.
"Israel needs a strong government, a stable government, a Zionist government, a government that is committed to Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people," he said.
On Tuesday, Israel witnessed its first snap polls after Netanyahu was unable to form a coalition government following the elections back in April.
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