Election ends, exit polls show near-tie between Netanyahu, challenger
JERUSALEM - Voting in Israel's national election has ended, with exit polls showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a virtual tie with a center-left challenger.
Exit polls conducted by the country's three major TV stations late Tuesday gave mixed results, showing an extremely tight race between Netanyahu's Likud Party and opposition leader Isaac Herzog's Zionist Union.
Two polls showed the parties deadlocked with 27 seats each, and a third gave Likud a slight lead of 28-27.
All showed the centrist newcomer Moshe Kahlon with enough seats to determine who will be the next prime minister. Kahlon, a Likud breakaway, has not said which side he would favor.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed to his hard-line base at the last minute, saying a Palestinian state would not be established if he is elected to a fourth term. His remarks could further sour ties with the United States.
Netanyahu also sounded off against the country's Arab population on Tuesday, saying that high Arab voter turnout was endangering his right wing party's dominance.
The prime minister's main challenger is Isaac Herzog of the center-left Zionist Union.
Voters are electing a 120-member parliament, casting ballots for a party list. It typically takes weeks of negotiations for a governing coalition to be formed.
It is a mild, sunny day in Israel, perfect for getting to the polls, reports CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen. Election Day in Israel is a holiday, so no one has an excuse not to vote. And the indications are they will -- in record numbers.
Isaac Herzog's party has been polling slightly ahead of Netanyahu's Likud, but neither camp has a clear majority. Israel's political landscape is fractured, and several centrist parties will likely determine who will be the next prime minister.