Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of high voter turnout in “the Left’s strongholds” in the most important election of his career.
Polls opened in the Israeli parliamentary elections on Tuesday, the first election since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas surprise attack that plunged the region into war. The election has turned into a referendum on the longtime Israeli leader, pitting his right-wing Likud-led coalition against the rest of Israel’s political scene.
Reflecting the election’s importance, by noon the country recorded a voter turnout of 31.5%, the highest since 1973, when 79% of the electorate voted in the first contest since the Yom Kippur War. The high turnout set off alarms for Netanyahu, who alleged that the higher turnout was being driven by left-wing and Arab areas.
Israeli settlers and border police officers line up to vote outside a polling station during Israel’s general election in Hebron, West Bank, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
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Israeli settlers and border police officers line up to vote outside a polling station during Israel’s general election in Hebron, West Bank, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
“Higher-than-usual turnout rates in the left’s strongholds. Right or Palestine, for real,” he said in a post on X, along with a video purporting to show a long line in a left-wing location, while his Likud location was mostly empty.
“Right-wing voters, this is an emergency hour >> Go out and vote right now!” Netanyahu added.
The Israeli prime minister posted a nearly identical message four years ago during the last election, along with a picture featuring the same layout.
Throughout the first several hours of voting, Netanyahu posted a steady feed of messages sounding the alarm, warning that ethnic Arabs were coming out in record numbers, putting Israel’s Jewish identity in danger. Throughout the campaign, Netanyahu has claimed that any opposition government would favor ethnic Arabs, and even suggested they would let in the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood.
“My brothers and sisters, right-wing voters, if we don’t go out to vote, we’ll get a government of the Muslim Brotherhood,” he said. “The turnout in the strongholds of the left and the Arab sector is breaking records.”
The prime minister followed these warnings with a direct video appeal, telling right-wing voters to mobilize as many people as possible.
“This is an emergency call to Likud voters!” he said. “Today no one stays home. No sea, no barbecue. Making sure that the family, friends, and neighbors also get to the polling station.”
“The future of our Jewish state is on the line: a strong right-wing government or a left-wing government supported by the Arab parties. Going out to vote with all our might!” Netanyahu added.
FOUR THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE ISRAELI ELECTION
Even before voters headed to the polls, the elections were marred by controversy. Critics claim Netanyahu has sought to prolong the state of war Israel entered after Oct. 7, 2023, for his own survival, with some claiming he was trying to provoke another round of attacks against Iran to extend his term.
Netanyahu’s handling of the wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran has become a central issue in the elections, with debate over how secure he’s kept Israel during his tenure.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
