Israelis turn out in huge numbers in tense election
Israelis voted in their highest numbers for more than half a century in the country’s first election since the October 2023 Hamas attack, effectively a referendum on the war-dominated rule of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Turnout stood at 31.5 per cent as of midday in Jerusalem (8pm AEDT) on Tuesday, according to the central election committee, the highest level at this stage in the process since 1973 — a highly charged election that followed the Yom Kippur war with Egypt and Syria. Voting will stop at 10pm (7am Wednesday AEDT), when the first exit polls will be published.
Netanyahu and wife Sara cast their ballots in Jerusalem. Yonatan Sindel/Pool Flash90 via AP
Netanyahu, 77, is seeking re-election and has been endorsed by US President Donald Trump, who backed him to help “finish the job” in the ongoing war against Iran.
Netanyahu’s opponents, led by 66-year-old former armed forces chief Gadi Eisenkot, say Israel’s longest serving leader is also the country’s greatest threat — and the main reason for its growing international isolation. They point to his indictment for bribery — an allegation Netanyahu denies — and partnership with nationalist extremists such as Itamar Ben Gvir, who have influenced the government’s anti-Arab rhetoric and policies.
