“What makes this [Washington-Jerusalem] relationship so strong, and what has made it so strong since Israel’s independence to the present day, is that this is a relationship that has always been based on our shared interests, but importantly our shared values,” State Department spokesman Ned Price says.
Under the controversial deal finalized by Lapid in October, Israel agreed to hand over disputed area in its economic and territorial waters in order to secure its rights to the Karish gas field.
As soon as the fifth election was announced, Religious Zionist Party head Bezalel Smotrich outlined the right-wing bloc's challenge upon victory: restoring governance.
With well over 80% of the votes counted, the left-wing party was projected to have no seats in the Knesset for the first time in its history.
Benny Gantz's State Party vows not to sit in a government with Benjamin Netanyahu, while Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beytenu warns the right-wing bloc against celebrating early.
The opposition leader seems to be headed toward one of his greatest victories. But for Netanyahu, winning is just the beginning.
Speaking in Jerusalem in the middle of the night, the opposition leader asked his supporters to have patience and said his Likud Party was “on the verge of a very big victory.”
"We have no intention to stop," Lapid told his supporters at his Center-Left party headquarters.
The Arab vote could ultimately determine the outcome of the election, and Likud has sounded the alarm that some polling stations in that sector had not been properly monitored.
Shas leader Aryeh Deri reacted to apparent rise of the Right-Haredi bloc, saying "the party achieved a great accomplishment and it will soon return to the helm."