TEL AVIV (dpa-AFX) – Before the election of a new parliament on Tuesday, Israel tightened its security precautions. A police spokeswoman said on Monday that around 18,000 emergency services were deployed on election day to ensure the safety of the 6.8 million eligible voters nationwide. It is already the fifth election in around three and a half years.
Former prime minister and current opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu – also known as “Bibi” – is hoping for a comeback. According to the latest polls, his party, the Likud, could once again become the strongest party in the Israeli parliament (Knesset). However, it is unclear whether the pro-Bibi camp can form a majority.
According to the latest polls ahead of Friday’s election, his bloc could get 60 seats out of 120. This would again result in a stalemate situation with the opposing camp of the current Prime Minister Jair Lapid. It consists of parties from the right to the left and wants to prevent Netanyahu’s return as head of government.
The decisive factor is the turnout of the Arab population. The Arab minority makes up about 20 percent of Israel’s approximately 9.4 million citizens. If one of the smaller parties in the Lapid camp fails to clear the 3.25 percent hurdle, it could pave the way for an ultra-right government under Netanyahu. The right-wing alliance of Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir is considered a possible kingmaker. Polls see their Religious Zionist Party as the third strongest force in the country.
The final result of the election is not expected before Thursday. Previous elections had shown that the result can still change according to the first forecasts on election night./stz/le/DP/ngu