As Israelis are heading to the polls to cast their ballots for the 20th Knesset, PM Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a fourth term in office. But the outcome is too close to call as the Likud party faces strong opposition from the Zionist Union.
18 March 2015
President Reuven Rivlin has also announced that he will strive for a national unity government.
— Paula Slier (@PaulaSlier_RT) March 18, 2015
Israel’s Haaretz Daily reports that 99.5 percent of the ballots have been counted. Likud is in the lead with 29 Knesset seats, compared to the Zionist Union’s 24. The Joint List stands third with 14 seats.
US President Barack Obama “remains committed to working very closely with the winner of the ongoing elections to cement and further deepen the strong relationship between the Us and Israel,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Tuesday, according to the Times of Israel. Earnest added that Obama remains “confident” that he will have a productive relationship with whomever the Israeli people choose.
#BREAKING: Preliminary Israeli vote data puts Netanyahu in lead with 24%
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) March 18, 2015
2.4m votes tallied in #israelex and Zionist Union closing the gap. Likud at 24.4% and Zionist Union at 19%
— Ilån Bεn Zıon (@IlanBenZion) March 18, 2015
17 March 2015
Final voter turnout at 71.8%, four percent more than 2013 election #IsraelElections
— Paula Slier (@PaulaSlier_RT) March 17, 2015
After claiming victory for his Likud party, Netanyahu expressed the desire to form a coalition government “without delay,” inviting other right-wing politicians to join. “Reality does not take a break,” he told his supporters.
Netanyahu: Now we have to build a strong, stable govt that will deal with welfare and security.
— Paula Slier (@PaulaSlier_RT) March 17, 2015
Netanyahu’s main rival Isaac Herzog from the Zionist Union says that he will make "every effort" to form a coalition.
Coming out of the exit polls, Herzog also told his supporters that “this result allows us to return to power”.
On his Twitter account, Netanyahu said that “against all odds” the election became “a great victory for the national camp led by Likud, a great victory for the people of Israel.”
UPDATE: #Netanyahu declares victory for #Likud party in #IsraelElectionshttp://t.co/E6FY6SoXm1pic.twitter.com/DyrEQjMAY5
— RT (@RT_com) March 17, 2015
3 TV networks release their exit polls in Israel's election. Voters rally around center-left & center-right pillars pic.twitter.com/ooWPH28m0F
— Josh Block (@JoshBlockDC) March 17, 2015
The Joint Arab List took the third place in the vote, according to exit polls.
Channel 10 and Channel 1 said the two opposing parties secured 27 seats each in the 120-member parliament – the Knesset. Channel 2 said that PM Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud finished with a narrow victory, winning 28 seats to the 27 of Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union.
Once again, preliminary results point to a perfect 27 seats to 27 seats tie between Likud and the Zionist Union.
— Paula Slier (@PaulaSlier_RT) March 17, 2015
The military wing of Palestinian Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, listed as a terrorist organization in the US, UK, EU bloc and other countries, has announced their support for Ayman Odeh. The Arab politician heads an alliance of four small, largely Arab-backed parties - the Joint List, having emerged as one of the surprises in the election campaign.
We ask all our supporters with followers in the occupied land, ask them personally to go and vote for @Ayman_Odeh_TJL ! 2 hours left!
— Ezzedeen Al-Qassam (@qassamenglish) March 17, 2015
“Today we are giving our answer to racism and to those who want to exclude us,” the head of the Joint List, which includes nationalists, Islamists and the Jewish-Arab Communist party said, as quoted by AP.
Arab-Israelis, who account for just over 20 percent of the population, reportedly forming long lines outside polling stations on Tuesday, prompted Odeh to describe the current vote as “a historic day for the Arabs”.
Voter turnout in the election has surpassed 2013 attendance levels by almost two percent. It stands at 65.7 percent as of 8 pm local time (6 pm GMT).
Voting underway in Israel; turnout slightly ahead of 2013 election. http://t.co/GGglhFBKXEpic.twitter.com/9E9qvv5EQ3
— 5 (TIMES 4) (@5times4news) March 17, 2015
Great series of #Israel election pictures from @reuterspixpic.twitter.com/06NipmlFbC
— Luke Baker (@LukeReuters) March 17, 2015
A statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expected to be delivered on Tuesday evening, has been banned from live broadcasting in Israel, Haaretz reported. Netanyahu's press conference qualifies as election propaganda, according to the Central Elections Committee head, Justice Salim Joubran.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is also head of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party, has warned voters that if they chose any other party, it would lead to the growth of terrorist movements in the country.
"Whoever wants to prevent an ISIS branch and an Al-Qaeda cell in Israel must vote for Yisrael Beiteinu," Haaretz quoted the politician as saying while touring the polling stations.
Far-right leader Lieberman basically just cast #Israel's 20-percent Arab minority as a future branch of ISIS or al-Qaeda
— Luke Baker (@LukeReuters) March 17, 2015
Last week, Lieberman was himself compared to Islamic State militants, after he suggested that Arab citizens who are disloyal to Israel deserve to be decapitated.
The ultra-orthodox Shas party has courted controversy after handing out flyers promising a "key to heaven" for the voters. In its advertisements, distributed by the party on Tuesday, Shas founder and spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef was pictured with a promise saying "those who vote for Shas will go straight to heaven," with an image of a key above it.
The Central Election Committee ordered Shas, an ultra-orthodox party, to stop handing out "keys to heaven" to voters. pic.twitter.com/YBRJcYSsNY
— Elizabeth Tsurkov (@Elizrael) March 17, 2015
Right-wing parties urgently filed petitions against the ultra-Orthodox movement. Israel’s Central Election Committee has issued an injunction to stop the distribution, Haaretz reported, as the country's election laws prohibit politicians from promising spiritual rewards to voters. Shas then slammed the ruling, the news source reported, quoting the party as stating to be "proud of our tradition, enough with the silencing and incitement!"
By 4pm (2pm GMT), over 45 percent of Israelis had cast their votes, according to data based on 9,000 polling stations across Israel, Haaretz reported.
Polling station in Tel Aviv pic.twitter.com/cAem977Abz
— Paula Slier (@PaulaSlier_RT) March 17, 2015
By 12pm (10am GMT), voter turnout stood at 26.5 percent, the Haaretz reports.
The IDF has used Twitter to call on Israeli soldiers to take part in the election.
We encourage our soldiers and all Israelis to go out and vote today! #EveryVoiceCounts#IsraelElectionspic.twitter.com/3aBneWZSgU
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) March 17, 2015
.#Google doodle celebrates #IsraElex; check it out pic.twitter.com/yLOHDhHPYn
— Seth Frantzman (@sfrantzman) March 17, 2015
By 10am (8am GMT), 13.7% of voters had cast their ballots, which is over 20 percent higher than the voter turnout at the same hour in the previous two elections, Haaretz reports.
Former President Shimon Peres, who lost an election to Netanyahu in 1996 and who said he supports the Zionist Union’s Isaac Herzog in the current election, has cast his vote.
“I call on all citizens of Israel – Jewish, Arab, Christian, Druze, Circassian, young and old – come to vote – today is a celebration of democracy,” Peres said as cited by Ynetnews.
Former President, Shimon Peres casts his vote as polls open this morning. pic.twitter.com/kM5MmRTCP0
— Israel News Flash (@ILNewsFlash) March 17, 2015
On #Israeli social media, Bibi is now the star of virtually all political parodies. From pop song re-mixes to his own video games.
— Paula Slier (@PaulaSlier_RT) March 17, 2015
Only 7.4 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots during the first two hours of the election, Israeli media report. That’s the lowest turnout number for this period since 1973, the Times of Israel specifies.
In 2013, marked by higher than average turnout, 11.4 percent had voted in the first two hours. In 2009 it was 10.3 percent.
RT’s Paula Slier, who’s following the election in Tel Aviv, says that the Israelis’ frustration with the current economic situation and the lack of progress in the Palestinian issue might get in the way of Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to hold on to the reins after the current election.
Domestic issues are outweighing foreign policy ones in the current election, according to Owen Alterman, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
“It’s economic issues, housing prices, the cost of living that are really the major political issues here and that are going to loom large,” Alterman told RT. “The Iranian issue is one Netanyahu is personally committed and passionate about it. Mr. Netanyahu and the political right here in general have an advantage when it comes to security issues, because the public tends to lean more towards their position than toward the political left. As with the economic issues, [the right] tend to have a disadvantage, so Mr. Netanyahu in terms of his election campaign and strategy has a distinct incentive to steer the debate towards security issues and away from the economic issues.”
Campaign posters flood the main streets, with billboards at every 50m. pic.twitter.com/acGZ1IbbdI
— Paula Slier (@PaulaSlier_RT) March 17, 2015
An Interior Ministry website, where Israelis can find the polling station at which they are allowed to vote, crashed shortly after the start of the election, according to the Central Election Committee, cited by the Times of Israel. The Ministry says it is trying to solve the problem. Israeli voters can only cast their ballots at specific polling stations near places where they are officially registered.
Tsipi Livni, the Zionist Union co-leader and the former Foreign Minister of Israel has also cast her ballot. She initially had a power-sharing deal with Isaac Herzog, meaning each of them agreed to have served as prime minister for two years, in case the party wins. Late Monday night, it was announced that Livni had given up that agreement, which was perceived as unpopular.
"Herzog and I are partners, and our goal is to replace Netanyahu – not change chairs," Livni said, as cited by Ynetnews.
אני עשיתי את שלי - עכשיו תורכם pic.twitter.com/m4V7QfX2N4
— ציפי לבני (@Tzipi_Livni) March 17, 2015
Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival, Isaac Herzog of the centrist Zionist Union, has cast his vote in Tel Aviv.
Having cast his ballot, Herzog said that “these elections are about change and hope or despair and disappointment,” the Times of Israel reported.
Isaac Herzog voting this morning A vote for @ZionistUnion - אמת - is a vote for a better Israel #IsraElex#מנפךpic.twitter.com/8tOSy3Q19O
— Zionist Union (@ZionistUnion) March 17, 2015
An exceptionally high voter turnout of around 80 percent, the highest since 1999, is expected at the election, the Jerusalem post says. Almost 6 million people are eligible to take part. Exit polls figures will be made public shortly after the polling stations close at 10 pm local time (8 pm GMT). Official results are only expected to be passed on to President Reuven Rivlin on March 25.
5,883,365 million Israelis are entitled to vote. #IsraeliElections2015
— orit perlov (@oritperlov) March 17, 2015
President Reuven Rivlin has cast his vote in Jerusalem.
הנשיא pic.twitter.com/F3hgE1Amoi
— Gal Berger גל ברגר (@galberger) March 17, 2015
PM Netanyahu and his wife have cast their ballots.
PM Netanyahu votes this morning in Jerusalem for todays elections, hoping to again become Israel's Prime Minister. pic.twitter.com/5MuiU1lKFH
— Israel Breaking (@IsraelBreaking) March 17, 2015
Speaking to journalists minutes later, the leader said that once he learns the results of the election he will first call Miriam Peretz, an Israeli educator who lost two sons in the IDF and was offered a place on the Likud list, but refused it, the Times of Israel reports.
His second phone call will be to the leader of Jewish Home, Naftali Bennett, with an offer to form a coalition.
“There will be no unity with Labor,” Netanyahu specified.
His third call will be to the president of the United States.
Polls open in Israeli election
Benjamin Netanyahu said that as long as he remains Israel’s prime minister, he won’t allow the creation of a Palestinian state. The statement came a day before the parliamentary election, in which some polls have predicted a victory for the rivals of Netanyahu’s Likud party.
Hollywood actor Chuck Norris is endorsing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is encouraging his fans in Israel to vote for the Likud party in Tuesday’s election.
“I have done three movies in Israel, Delta Force being my favorite, and I formed many friendships while there,” he said on YouTube post. “You have an incredible country, and we want to keep it that way.”
Security of the State of Israel is the main issue of Netanyahu’s campaign. The Zionist Union – an alliance between Yitzhak Herzog's Labour Party and Tzipi Livni's Hatnuah movement – is focusing its campaign more on socioeconomic issues.
Tonight, if you are so inclined, say a prayer for @Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו and the #elections in Israel. pic.twitter.com/IUZXZtWoFr
— Allen West Republic (@AllenWestRepub) March 17, 2015
Going into the vote, polls show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and Zionist Union are running neck-and-neck, with each predicted to win around 24 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.
Muslim, Christian or Jew... Voting is a right granted to every Israeli citizen. #IsraelElectionspic.twitter.com/BjRuniTvyl
— Andreas Fagerbakke (@afagerbakke) March 16, 2015