Israel is electing a new parliament for the fifth time in less than four years. A tight race is emerging: in the polls, the incumbent Prime Minister Lapid is just behind ex-Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is also backed by the far right.
Will Benjamin Netanyahu return to power or will Jair Lapid remain prime minister? Israel is electing a new parliament for the fifth time in less than four years. The longtime former Prime Minister Netanyahu and his right-wing conservative Likud party were just ahead in polls. However, they are likely to be dependent on the support of ultra-right parties, which have recently gained in popularity. Incumbent Prime Minister Lapid, whose center-party Yesh Atid trailed just behind Netanyahu's Likud in the polls, cast his ballot in Tel Aviv.
He called for a lively voter turnout. "Go vote today for the future of our children, for the future of our country," he said. Lapid ended Netanyahu's reign last year with an eight-party coalition. "I hope we will end the day with a smile, but the decision is up to the people," Netanyahu said after voting in Jerusalem. Netanyahu may need the support of his former coalition partner, the ultra-Orthodox, and the far-right coalition of Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to form a government.
In particular, the alliance of the duo, which calls for the annexation of the entire West Bank occupied by Israel, has recently gained ground in polls and could become the third strongest force in the election. Ben Gvir cast his ballot in a Jewish settlement near Hebron in the occupied West Bank. "Those who vote for us will get Netanyahu as prime minister and a real right-wing government," he campaigned for votes. Whether his potential allies get enough votes could be crucial for incumbent Lapid. However, his broad eight-party alliance, which included an Arab-led party for the first time in the country's history, collapsed in June after a year in office.
The 66-year-old voter Schai Barkan expressed his frustration at the ongoing new elections when he cast his ballot in Tel Aviv. "I'm doing my civic duty and I hope this election will be the last for the next four years," he told AFP. "Every year there is a new election, there is no political stability and that hinders a lot of things," said 26-year-old Amy Segal in Tel Aviv, venting her anger. "I have the impression that it doesn't matter who you vote for, nothing will change." For voting on the 120 seats in the Knesset, the polling stations are to remain open until 10:00 p.m. local time (9:00 p.m. CET).
Although this is the fifth parliamentary election in four years, experts expect a relatively high voter turnout. Parties and electoral alliances have to clear a 3.25 percent hurdle to enter the Knesset. In addition to the security situation, the key issues in the election campaign were the rising cost of living in Israel. For Netanyahu, the election is also personally important given corruption allegations against him. Should the 73-year-old become prime minister again, he could apply for immunity.
The polls revealed an extremely tight race. Accordingly, the camp around Netanyahu can hope for 60 seats, the anti-Netanyahu bloc for 56 and an alliance of Arab-led parties for four seats. However, none of the different camps would achieve the necessary absolute majority of 61 seats in parliament. The decisive factor could be the turnout of Arab Israelis, who make up around 20 percent of the population in Israel. After the ballot, the coalition talks could drag on for weeks. In the event of a failure, a new election would be possible - it would then be the sixth within a few years.
