Polls suggest PM is one seat short of the majority needed to claim victory JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed victory in Israel"s election on Monday after exit polls put his right-wing Likud party several seats ahead of its main challenger, the centrist Blue and White party. The premier, who is under criminal indictment, tweeted that the results were "a huge victory for Israel", after polls released by three television networks gave Likud and its allies 60 seats - one short of a parliamentary majority. Those projections mark a major improvement on Likud"s performance in Israel"s last vote in September. In a statement, Likud said Netanyahu had spoken with all the heads of right-wing parties and "agreed to form a strong national government for Israel as soon as possible." Netanyahu is due to appear in court later this month on a series of corruption charges. Blue and White along with its centre-left allies as well as the mainly Arab Joint List were projected to win between 52 and 54 seats. The nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party, which was in the position of kingmaker following inconclusive polls in April and September, was forecast to win between 6 and 8 seats.