Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed victory in the Parliamentary elections, as exit polls show his right-wing Likud Party winning a tight race with the rival party, Zionist Union.

The poll count made by public television Channel 1 and private television Channel 10 both gave Netanyahu's Likud and the Zionist Union led by Isaac Herzog 27 seats each in the 120 member parliament.

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Figures from another private television, Channel 2, gave Likud the additional one-seat edge, which brakes the tie.

In his Twitter account, 65-year-old Netanyahu posted, "Against all odds. A great victory for the Likud. A major victory for the people of Israel."

But 54-year-old Herzog insists, up to this time, it is still possible for him to form a coalition government.

He said, "everything is open."

Netanyahu had made a last minute appeal to his supporters to show up at the polls to overpower the votes of the Arab Israelis.

In a video on Facebook, he said," the rule of the right-wing is in danger. Arab voters are going to the polls in drovers. Go to the polling stations! Vote Likud!"

The main Arab parties joined together to try to challenge the leadership of Netanyahu.

In the end, they won 13 parliamentary seats.

Weeks before the elections, Netanyahu was trailing four seats behind the Zionist Union.

Under Israel's electoral system, the one who becomes Prime Minister is not the head of the political party, but whoever can build a coalition that will be able to corner at least 61 seats in the parliament.

Claude Klein, a specialist in constitutional law at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, says, "on paper, Isaac Herzog has no chance of putting together a majority that would depend on the support of the Arab List, which includes the anti-Zionist members of the parliament."

It is now up to the center-right political party, Kulanu, to declare who should take control of the majority.

The party, led by Moshe Kahlon, who was once a popular minister under Likud, won 10 seats, based on the exit polls.

Kahlon has talked with both Netanyahu and Herzog and he had told the two leaders that he will make his choice, once the final election results have come out.

TagsNetanyahu, Israel