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. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday there would be no Palestinian state if he were reelected, in a last-ditch effort to woo rightwing voters on the eve of a general election.

Polling stations are to open at 0500 GMT on Tuesday for Israel's second snap general election in as many years in a ballot experts agree is likely to be a referendum on the Netanyahu years.

Two days before Israel's election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a last-ditch effort Sunday to garner support by appealing to the center and heading for a mass rally in Tel Aviv.

Israel goes to the polls on Tuesday for the second general election in as many years with pundits unanimous that it is turning out to be a referendum on Netanyahu's six years as premier.

Whoever ends up forming a government after Tuesday's election in Israel will face the daunting task of repairing the country's frayed international ties, experts say.

Incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aggressive style has strained relations with Israel's foreign partners -- including closest ally the United States -- leaving the Jewish state increasingly isolated.

Final opinion polls on Friday put Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party four seats behind its center-left rival with four days to go before a general election.

Several polls released Friday -- the last day opinion surveys can be released before Tuesday's vote -- showed the Zionist Union pulling further ahead of Likud after an intense campaign.

Less than a week before Israel's second general election in two years, Isaac Herzog's center-left Zionist Union opened up a lead on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud, polls showed Wednesday.

The March 17 vote comes as Israel faces major domestic and international challenges, all of which will have to be addressed by the next government - among them the Iranian nuclear threat, the deadlock in peace efforts and a looming Palestinian legal move at the International Criminal Court.

Israelis awaiting their second general election in two years may be wearied by aggressive voting campaigns, but candidates in next week's snap ballot have found a brand new target demographic.

More than 10,000 French Jews have moved to Israel since the 2013 election, and polls on March 17 will be the first where parliamentary hopefuls have directly canvassed support among French voters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denies reneging on a 2009 speech in which he acknowledged the need for the creation of a Palestinian state, a spokesman said on Monday.

Over the weekend a pamphlet distributed in Israeli synagogues including a Q&A with the main parties running in next week's general election featured a response by Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party to a question on the formation of a Palestinian state.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main challenger in March 17 elections, the center-left Zionist Union, unveiled its platform Sunday with an emphasis on ending Israel's "diplomatic isolation."

Its two planks for the legislative polls are "to end the diplomatic isolation of Israel" and halt the rising cost of living, the alliance between the Labor party of Yitzhak Herzog and Tzipi Livni's centrist HaTnuah said in a statement.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday said Israel creates the "greatest danger" in the region, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned against a nuclear deal with the Islamic republic.

In a speech on Capitol Hill, Netanyahu said Tuesday the nuclear agreement U.S. President Barack Obama wants with Tehran "is so bad... it paves Iran's path to the bomb" and "would spark a nuclear arms race in the most dangerous part of the planet".