Netanyahu races to unify Israel's right wing in bid to avert election defeat

By Maayan Lubell JERUSALEM, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to consolidate Israel's fractious right-wing parties ahead of a Tuesday deadline in order to avoid an election loss forecast by opinion polls. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, is seeking a record seventh term in the October 27 election, but he has faced pressure over the Hamas-led 2023 attack on Israel and subsequent wars in Gaza, Iran and Lebanon, and surveys have for months been pointing to a defeat for his nationalist-religious coalition.