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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu escalated his attack on Arab parties on election day, accusing them of attempting to "steal the election" and calling on his supporters to vote for the Likud party, at a time when his party requested an extension of voting hours amid high turnout rates.
In a video message, Netanyahu said that "4 hours remain to save Israel," calling on his supporters to head to the ballot boxes and accusing Arab parties of attempting to influence the election results.
He also warned of high turnout in Arab towns and called on his supporters not to head to the beach or hold barbecues before casting their votes.
Netanyahu accused three people of attempting to bribe voters, while the acting Director-General of the Israeli Central Elections Committee, Dean Livne, said that police had detained three people on suspicion of attempting to bribe voters, explaining that their arrest took place near homes rather than inside polling stations, and that the investigation is still ongoing.
The head of the United Arab List, Mansour Abbas, responded by accusing Netanyahu of lying and incitement, saying that he is using the list as a "scarecrow for the right" to push his supporters to vote for Likud.
In a related context, the Likud party requested an extension of voting until after 10:00 PM local time, amid high turnout rates, while the "Yeshar" party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, opposed the request, considering that Netanyahu is paving the way to challenge the integrity of the elections and that there is no exceptional event to justify extending the voting.
The turnout reached 55.7% by 4:00 PM local time, according to the newspaper "Israel Hayom," while Israel's Channel 12 said that the recorded rate is the highest since at least 1969.
Turnout had reached 44.9% by 2:00 PM, compared to 38.9% in the previous elections.
The elections come in light of the repercussions of the October 7, 2023 attack and the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, amid a competition in which Netanyahu seeks to retain the premiership, facing rivals led by Eisenkot.
US President Donald Trump had announced his support for Netanyahu on the eve of the elections, at a time when the Israeli Prime Minister is focusing on his security experience and his relationship with Washington during his election campaign.
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