Interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid called Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday night to congratulate the politician on his victory in Tuesday's elections, paving the way for Netanyahu to return to power after spending more than a year in opposition.
The phone call came after Israel's Central Election Committee indicated that based on the processing of over 99 percent of the votes, Netanyahu's right-wing Zionist Likud party was on track to securing a plurality of the votes, with his right-wing coalition taking 64 mandates, enough for a majority in Israel's 120 seat parliament, the Knesset.
"The State of Israel is above any political consideration," Lapid said in his congratulatory message to Netanyahu. "I wish Netanyahu luck for the sake of the people of Israel and the State of Israel."
Netanyahu holds the record as the longest-serving leader in Israeli history, serving as prime minister between March 2009 and June 2021, and before that from June 1996 to July 1999. He became leader of the opposition last year after a series of elections left Israel in a deep political stalemate between his conservative, right-wing and religious right allies and 'moderates' led by Lapid, Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz.