Netanyahu Alleges Election Theft Plot as Israeli Voters Head to Polls in Record Numbers

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused political opponents of trying to steal Tuesday’s national election after authorities arrested three suspects reportedly tied to the Arab Ra’am party on suspicion of bribing voters in southern Israel. Ra’am has denied any wrongdoing.

“They are trying to steal the election from us,” Netanyahu said, as voters across the country turned out in numbers not seen before at this stage of an Israeli election.

The Central Elections Committee reported turnout at 66.7 percent by 6 p.m. local time, well above the 57.7 percent recorded at the same hour in 2022 and the highest figure ever logged at that point in the country’s electoral history.

With polls set to close at 10 p.m., Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich launched a last-minute mobilization push for right-wing voters, including plans to convene dozens of local officials, according to Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir went door to door in Bat Yam to urge residents to the polls, and Likud said hundreds of volunteers were canvassing homes in Lod. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar framed the stakes starkly, warning that “this day will determine the existence of the Jewish state.”

The scramble came after reports of strong turnout in Arab communities and left-leaning strongholds, which stirred concern among coalition parties about their own ability to get supporters to the polls and about whether several smaller right-wing parties would clear Israel’s 3.25 percent electoral threshold needed to enter the Knesset.

Likud and allied parties petitioned the Central Elections Committee to extend voting past the scheduled 10 p.m. close. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party pushed back, accusing Netanyahu of setting up a future challenge to the election’s legitimacy. Election officials had already said voters still in line when polls close would be allowed to cast ballots.

The contest is shaping up to be exceptionally close. Final pre-election polling found neither Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc nor its rivals on track for a clear majority in the 120-seat Knesset, meaning the final outcome may turn on whether a handful of smaller parties clear the threshold for representation. Television exit polls were expected shortly after voting concluded.