Israel's Likud, Blue and White tie with 97.4 pct of vote counted

Supporters of the Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) political alliance celebrate after Benny Gantz claiming the victory in Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 9, 2019. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger, Benny Gantz, were tied in the parliamentary elections on Wednesday morning after 97.4 percent of the votes were counted, official figures by Israeli Central Election Committee showed. Both Netanyahu's Likud and Gantz's centrist party of Blue and White had 35 seats in the 120-seat parliament, or the Knesset, according to the figures. However, both contestants claimed victory. (Xinhua/Gil Cohen Magen)