Israeli citizens began voting on Tuesday in the country’s fourth general election in less than two years, with no guarantee that this poll will bring about a more conclusive result than the previous three.
Nearly 14,000 polling stations opened at 7 am across the country, several thousand more than previous elections to prevent crowding in the pandemic, Israeli media reported.
Voting will close at 10 pm, when exit polls will likely point to voting trends rather than a clear winner because of the tight race.
Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving premier and its most popular politician, but his inability in recent years to unite a stable governing majority behind him has mired the country in unprecedented political gridlock.
I hope that @IntlCrimCourt is watching and collecting evidence if #ApartheidIsrael’s politicians promising to commit #warcrimes. It is so blatant that only #accountability will reign their vulgar #ethniccleansing promises in. #israelielections https://t.co/bXYAuAHmfn
— Professor Kamel Hawwash كامل إسحق الحواش (@kamelhawwash) March 23, 2021
He is facing an electorate of some 6.5 million registered voters, after leading a successful coronavirus vaccination effort that has already fully inoculated half of Israel’s roughly nine million people, a pace envied by much of the world.
But while his right-wing Likud will likely win the most seats, 71-year-old Netanyahu will need coalition partners to secure a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
That means Israel is looking at three possible outcomes: another coalition under Netanyahu, an ideologically divided government united only by its opposition to him, or a looming fifth election.
#Netanyahu Supports Re-election Bid of #FarRight Extremist #BenGvir https://t.co/chyIKVEnnp via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/b2hspsrvsl
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) March 22, 2021
Netanyahu is currently on trial over corruption charges – allegations he denies, but which have helped fuel a protest movement with weekly rallies outside his Jerusalem residence.
To form a government, Netanyahu will have to come to terms with small factions that control a handful of seats, possibly including a new extremist, far-right alliance called Religious Zionism.
If Religious Zionism crosses the 3.25 percent support threshold, as polls predict, it will send to parliament Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has voiced admiration for Baruch Goldstein, the mass-murderer of 29 Palestinian worshippers in Hebron (Al-Khalil) in 1994.
Palestinian Arab Parties Set To Lose Leverage In Israeli Elections – OpEdhttps://t.co/PBUJc12BK6
At a glance, it may appear that the new split among the Arab political parties in Israel is consistent with the typical pattern of political and ideological divisions that have a… pic.twitter.com/6u1seibuoI— Eurasia Review (@EurasiaReview) March 2, 2021
Even top Likud member and energy minister Yuval Steinitz said it would be improper to sit with Ben-Gvir, who has vowed to secure a prominent role in government before agreeing to join Netanyahu.
(The New Arab, PC, Social Media)
