Netanyahu Vows to Form Strong Right-Wing Government Post-Election

Following the Israeli elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed his supporters, stating his immediate goal is to establish a "strong right-wing national government" with the Likud party at its helm. While his speech emphasized this objective, it notably omitted the word "victory." Netanyahu thanked Likud activists and government critics, highlighting his government's achievements, including "eliminating" figures like Haniyeh and Sinwar, establishing security zones in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, and asserting that Iran is weaker and Israel stronger than ever. He acknowledged the ongoing vote count but declared that the Likud is the largest party and the right-wing bloc holds a decisive majority among the Zionist public. He stressed the importance of forming a strong right-wing government, warning against relying on "anti-Zionist" parties that oppose Israel's existence and label Hamas a charity. Netanyahu also criticized media outlets, accusing them of manipulating public consciousness and attempting to suppress votes by reporting lower projected mandates for Likud. He claimed that polls showing Likud with 18 or 19 seats were intentionally misleading. As of the current count of half the votes, Netanyahu's bloc leads with 56 mandates compared to the "change bloc's" 49, with Arab parties holding 15.