If the results of the exit polls end up being reliable, Beniamin Netanyahu will return to rule in Israel. With the 30 seats won by Likud, the “King Bibi” bloc would add 62 seats, two more than necessary. With 22 deputies, Yair Lapid’s center-left bloc would remain at 54.
Election day in Israel, which was the fifth vote in just over three years, began with well-founded fears that it was not going to break the political deadlock. With forecasts pointing to the fact that none of the blocs would achieve the 61 seats they had dreamed of, 6,780,000 Israeli voters enjoyed a holiday to exercise their democratic right. A priori, the right-wing Netanyahu (Likud) came out better positioned than the centrist Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid). Until tomorrow, Wednesday or Thursday, the almost definitive results will not be known.
The alarms about a possible decline in participation went off at noon. After two in the afternoon, 38.9% of the electorate had already turned out to vote, three points more than in 2021. The central electoral committee reported various irregularities, such as the disappearance of ballot papers in some schools, or poll workers exercising of political activists.
To take advantage of the day off, some Israelis chose to travel by plane, after circulating a false rumor that they could cast their vote at Ben Gurion International Airport. Upon arrival, they found that none of the 12,000 ballot boxes distributed throughout the territory was placed in the terminal. Instead, hundreds of Israelis living abroad returned to their country to vote. The electoral law does not allow expatriates to participate in the elections from abroad. The only exception is diplomats or members of the security forces stationed outside of Israel.
Given the volatile situation on the ground – there were two Palestinian armed attacks over the weekend – the Israeli army decreed a total closure of border crossings with the West Bank for the entire day. The night before, the Tzahal carried out multiple raids in Palestinian towns, seizing weapons and detaining four suspects.
Keren Neubach, public radio host Reshet Bet, opened her broadcast by recalling that “we are facing a fifth election in which there is practically nothing to talk about.” She painted the picture as a fight to instill fear, with each side focused on talking about the tragedies that the other’s victory would bring. Given the scant content debated in the campaign, the struggle is focused on defining the identity of the country: a liberal Israel; or a Jewish state based on halakhah.
The parties reserved a good part of their budgets and energies for this crucial day. Given the omens that a single deputy could tip the balance, political leaders and militants pounced on the undecided. Among the young people who made their debut as voters in the first round of 2019, apathy spread: they feel that voting has not helped them define the direction of the nation.
The current acting Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who began the day by visiting the grave of his father Tommy Lapid -a well-known journalist and former politician-, voted with his wife near Tel Aviv. “Go vote for the future of your country and our children. Good luck everyone,” he declared. He continued with his positive campaign, avoiding the insistent catastrophism of his potential allies.
Netanyahu walked into a Jerusalem polling station surrounded by fans. “Participation rates in Likud strongholds are low. Go out and vote to defeat Lapid, Benny Gantz and Abbas! ”, He warned referring to the centrist and Arab partners of the current prime minister. “I am worried, but I hope we end the day with a smile,” added the opposition leader.
The star of the campaign, the extreme right-wing Itamar Ben Gvir -of “Religious Zionism” who achieved third place-, voted in his settlement of Kiryat Arba (West Bank) in the face of enormous media expectation. “With a single vote, you will receive Netanyahu as prime minister and a clearly right-wing government,” predicted the ultra deputy, who demands weighty ministries in a future executive.
Like a rock star, Ben Gvir moved around the country on election day by helicopter. “I don’t know how this will end, but I really feel the support,” he said during a mass shower in Sderot, along the Gaza border. His frequent appearances at scenes of incidents or attacks to claim revenge have boosted his popularity, and even Likudnik voters have gone over to the extreme right. In Netanya, where a suspected leftist militant mocked liturgical elements, Ben Gvir disembarked from his helicopter to “protect the Jewish character of the state.”
From the small leftist parties, they continued betting on the card of fear. “For the first time in history, we decide between democracy or supremacism,” insisted Zehava Galon of Meretz. Given the omens of disappearance, they encouraged fear of possible setbacks for the LGTBI community in Israel if Jewish radicals participate in the next coalition. Among center-left voters, who had multiple ballots, the “strategic vote” spread: wait until the day advanced to opt for an option that would ensure the strengthening of the bloc. Labor Avoda, the founding party of the state, also suffered from the panic of disappearing under the command of Merav Michaeli.
Despite the wear and tear and the sensation of a loop, President Isaac Herzog called for taking advantage of “a right that billions of people around the world do not enjoy. It is a privilege to participate in a clean, free and equal process. All votes have impact.” In the coming weeks it will be known if Israel manages to get out of the electoral loop.
