Jerusalem, Oct 27 (PTI) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday urged right-wing supporters to “wake up” and vote for his Likud party, warning of high Arab turnout.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is facing his first parliamentary election on Tuesday since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and the ensuing Gaza war, with the contest for the 120-member Knesset closely fought.
More than 7.3 million Israelis are eligible to vote.
In a video addressed to Likud voters, Netanyahu warned that Arab voters in southern Israel were “racing to the ballots” and claimed that “they are trying to steal the election from us”, referring to three Ra’am party operatives reportedly arrested on suspicion of bribing voters.
“It’s serious,” he said, adding, “It’s criminal. They will reach every single person. You have been warned.”
Netanyahu also said Arab voter turnout in the Negev was far higher than among Jewish voters, without presenting figures.
“You must go out and vote,” he urged, stressing, “You also must race to the ballot.”
“No beach, no barbecue, everyone goes out to vote Likud. What hangs in the balance is the future of our Jewish state,” Netanyahu said, warning that a victory by opposition Zionist and Arab parties “will bring an end to the Jewish state as we know it.”
Netanyahu issued several social media messages during the day warning of high turnout among Arab and left-wing voters and urging supporters of the right to head to polling stations.
“Buses are heading to the polling stations, and huge lines are being reported in the Arab settlements. And meanwhile, the right-wing strongholds are not waking up!,” Netanyahu said in another post on X.
“If we don’t go out to vote now, we’ll find ourselves with a government of the Arab parties,” he said.
“We must not stay home. Every vote counts! Going out now to vote – Machal, Likud,” he asserted.
The messages echoed Netanyahu’s controversial election-day appeal in March 2015, when he warned his supporters that Arab voters were heading to polling stations “in droves” and urged Likud supporters to turn out in greater numbers.
The 2015 appeal drew widespread criticism, but Likud eventually emerged as the largest party in that election.
Arab citizens, who make up about 21 per cent of Israel’s population, could play a significant role in the post-election arithmetic. Their turnout could influence the balance between the competing political blocs.
Pollsters expect Arab turnout to rise to around 63 per cent, compared with about 53 per cent in 2022.
The Arab-led Joint List and Ra’am, headed by Mansour Abbas, are running separately.
Although the parties are not contesting the election as a single list, their leaders have sought to increase Arab voters’ participation and influence over government formation. PTI HM SKS SKS
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