Figures published by public Channel 1 and private Channel 10 television both gave Netanyahu’s Likud and Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union 27 seats each in the 120-member parliament.

Figures published by public Channel 1 and private Channel 10 television both gave Netanyahu's Likud and Isaac Herzog's Zionist Union 27 seats each in the 120-member parliament.

A third poll by private Channel 2 gave Likud a one-seat lead on the Zionist Union, with the ruling party taking 28 seats in the Knesset.

Netanyahu had lagged behind the center-left Zionist Union in opinion polls ahead of the vote, which is seen as a referendum on his six-year premiership.

Even if his Likud party comes second, Netanyahu could stay in power by forging a coalition with rightwing allies.

The outcome of the vote is likely to determine the prospects for new Middle East peace talks and Israel's troubled relations with its U.S. ally.

Some 5.8 million people were eligible to vote, with 25 parties vying for the Knesset.