Leaders in the Israeli Jewish opposition on Tuesday called on voters to participate heavily in the parliamentary elections (Knesset), with the aim of ending the era of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu .
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Voting began at 7:00 AM Jerusalem time and will continue until 10:00 PM (20:00 GMT).
The Israeli election committee announced that voter turnout reached 16.6 percent three hours after the polling stations opened.
7,331,981 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in an election in which 37 lists are competing for 120 seats in the Knesset (parliament), while polls indicate that only 13 lists are likely to pass the threshold and win seats.
Netanyahu, 77, has served as prime minister for five non-consecutive terms, making him the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history.
“Vote, let’s put an end to the Netanyahu era and the rule of the Haredim (religious Jews),” said former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman , leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party , via the American company X’s platform.
Netanyahu has headed the current right-wing government since late December 2022, and it is described as the most extreme in Israel’s history.
“Yasar Road”
For his part, the leader of the “Yeshar” party, Gadi Eisenkot , said via the same platform: “There is only one way to achieve change and replace Netanyahu, and that is the way of Yeshar.”
Former army chief of staff Eisenkot added: “This party must become the largest in Israel.”
Opinion polls indicate that neither Eisenkot's nor Netanyahu's camp will be able to secure the 61-seat majority needed to form a government on its own.
This raises several scenarios, including forming a unity government, going to new elections, or relying on the support of Palestinian parties represented in the Knesset.
So far, both camps reject the possibility of forming an alliance with the Palestinian parties (affiliated with the Knesset) to muster the required majority.
Eisenkot and Netanyahu agree on rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, despite UN resolutions calling for its establishment within the framework of the two-state solution.
Warning against “fake news”
For his part, Knesset member Gilad Kariv of the Democratic Party wrote: “Today we are taking our struggle of the past four years to the ballot boxes.”
Karev added that “today marks the beginning of four years of hope.”
He warned: “In the coming hours, Netanyahu and his cronies will inundate you (the voters) with fake news and misleading messages, in an attempt to undermine the elections by spreading lies and illusions.”
He continued: “Our response should be a massive turnout at the ballot boxes.”
The election is of particular importance to the future of Netanyahu, who is on trial in corruption cases that include charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
In 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians during the genocide perpetrated by Israel in the Gaza Strip.
Haaretz: Time for accountability
In its editorial on Tuesday, the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz called on voters to “hold Netanyahu accountable for his years in power, and to impose a price for his failures and his abandonment of them, and for the damage he has inflicted on their security and future.”
She added that “Netanyahu’s government has caused incalculable damage,” arguing that under his rule “Israel has become a pariah state, and today it is even losing its only indispensable ally: the United States.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip and aggression in the occupied West Bank. It has also waged two wars on Lebanon and Iran, carried out raids on Yemen and Qatar, and made repeated ground incursions into Syria.
The newspaper continued: “Israel cannot afford another four years under Netanyahu’s rule. Its resources have been depleted, its diplomatic standing has eroded to dangerous levels, and its exhausted citizens have reached the limits of their endurance.”
Popular and official criticism of Israel is increasing in various parts of the world due to its violations against the Palestinians, especially the ongoing genocide in Gaza for the past three years.
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Adalah Center in Israel: Shortage of Arabic ballot papers at polling stations
The Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel received complaints after voting began in the Knesset elections today about the unavailability of ballot papers in Arabic at many polling stations.
According to the center, these trends came from several Arab towns, including Baqa al-Gharbiyya, Haifa, Nazareth, I'billin, Eilaboun, Shafa'amr and Nof HaGalil.
Following these trends, the Adalah Center sent an urgent letter to the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, demanding that the problem be rectified immediately by urgently providing ballot papers in Arabic to all polling stations experiencing shortages, and issuing clear instructions to the polling station committees.
The center stressed that what happened constitutes an infringement on the right of Arab citizens to vote equally and in an accessible manner, as Arabic is the mother tongue of hundreds of thousands of voters, and providing ballot papers in it is a basic condition for conducting fair and impartial elections.
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Ofer Cassif: Netanyahu's victory could lead to the end of Israel
Israeli lawmaker Ofer Cassif warned that a victory for Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections could lead to further escalation and wars.
He argued that the continuation of Netanyahu's government and its policies could threaten the future of Israel itself, not just the Palestinian cause.
He said that the decline of far-right leaders in several countries, including Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, strengthens his hope that Netanyahu will be the next to lose power, emphasizing that the support US President Donald Trump provides to his allies does not guarantee their continued rule.
He argued that removing the extreme right from the Israeli government requires coordination among opposition forces, unification of Arab parties, and increased voter turnout among Palestinians in Israel to bolster their representation in the Knesset. However, he cautioned that a change of government does not necessarily translate into a fundamental shift in policies toward the Palestinians.
Kassif accused Netanyahu of exploiting security incidents to justify the ongoing war on Gaza and the escalation of measures in the West Bank, warning of the potential for a wider regional confrontation, including with Iran, given the electoral and political calculations.
Conversely, he stated that Netanyahu's defeat could open a window to a better future for Israelis, Palestinians, and the peoples of the region, but stressed that this necessitates an end to the war and violations, confronting racism and discrimination, and respecting the Palestinian people's right to freedom and self-determination.
Regarding the unification of Arab parties, Kassif pointed to the formation of the Joint List, while acknowledging the continued disagreements among the participating factions. He urged Palestinian citizens of Israel to increase their electoral participation, believing that a higher voter turnout could strengthen their representation and influence the balance of power within the Knesset.
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