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Live blog: Israel election latest news and updates

Follow our live coverage for the latest developments, results and reaction as Israel votes.

Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot casts his ballot in Herzliya alongside his wife, Hannah, and family members. (Photo: Yashar)
Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot casts his ballot in Herzliya alongside his wife, Hannah, and family members. (Photo: Yashar)

Voting in Israel is about to close. Exit polls will start rolling in soon after.

Former IDF major general believes Netanyahu block will shatter from 64 seats to 50

Nimrod Sheffer, a former IDF major general and a politician for the left of centre Democrat party says they believe the Netanyahu block will shatter from 64 seats to 50.

Speaking after the biggest vote in Israel since 1977 at the Israel Press Club election night event, Sheffer, who is 11th on the Democrat list said: ’There has been a very high turnout, and that plays in our favour because many of the small parties will not pass the threshold, and then most of them, actually all of them, are from the other side of the political map. So let me let me be very very blunt, okay? I think that the political map in Israel tomorrow morning will be as follows: 50 mandates for the current coalition, which will sit in the opposition, and 70 to the next coalition. 50 to this coalition is a crash.”

Netanyahu’s coalition won 64 seats at the last election

Sheffer added: ‘It means that Israeli society says, “Do whatever you have to do to change the government.” This is a red flag for the current coalition for Netanyahu’s government. This is a red flag for the Israeli populations. We have had enough. We need a change. We want a change, and that’s why I think the turnout is so high, which we didn’t see for so many years.

“And the turnout in the Arab society is the highest ever, I think, which gives the Arab society in Israel, I believe, something between 15 to 16 or 18, maybe seats in the next Israeli Parliament, in the next, which is a huge political power, and that means to each one of us, [that they are saying] guys, you cannot ignore us anymore. We are part of the Israeli society. We are part of the political game. We want to be part of that.”

‘Tomorrow morning, or even tonight, the entire narrative that we knew about is going to change in Israel because there are two narratives that I think about. One is national unity; that’s what I believe should be done, but leave it aside. And the other one is you can’t ignore the Arabs. This is what’s going to happen. We, the Democrats Party, believe that the Arab society should be a part of the political game in Israel. You cannot ignore 21 percent of your population, citizens like me, like you. So we believe they must be part of the game.”

Pollsters signalling that there will be ‘unanticipated developments’ and ‘surprises’, reports

Shlomo Filber, pollster for Netanyahu-aligned Channel 14, hints that “a party that we never dreamed of could find itself out of the Knesset” due to the high turnout.

Source: Avi Mayer, Founder, JerusalemJournal.com

30 complaints filed over suspected electoral fraud, reports

Ma’ariv reports that Israeli police are investigating nearly 30 complaints filed throughout election day (Tuesday), up until the evening, over suspected electoral fraud and voter impersonation at polling stations.

Following the complaints, police investigators moved swiftly to examine the allegations and determine whether any offences involving fraud or impersonation had been committed during voting.

Police stressed that the filing of a complaint does not necessarily mean that an offence has taken place, and that the investigations are intended to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding each reported incident.

The findings will also be submitted to Israel’s Central Elections Committee for review and any further action deemed necessary.

Report: three polling places in Arab town in the north close because 100% of eligible voters have voted

“There is a report in Israel that three polling places in an Arab town in the north have closed because 100% of eligible voters in those areas have voted. The numbers are absolutely astounding.”

Source: Senior Correspondent @owenalterman for i24 News English

Gadi Eisenkot tells voters: ‘choose enlistment over draft evasion’

Gadi Eisenkot
Gadi Eisenkot

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of Yashar with Eisenkot, completed his visits to Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan alongside Yashar party list member and Ramat Gan Deputy Mayor Israel Zari: “With one hour until the polls close, I urge the public to choose enlistment over draft evasion, responsibility over evading responsibility, and commitment to citizens over political and personal commitments. This is about our future and the future of our children.”

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Israeli polling stations to stay open after 10pm if voters are still queuing

Polling stations across Israel will remain open beyond 10pm if voters are still waiting in line, election officials have confirmed.

Dean Livne, acting director-general of the Central Elections Committee, said long queues had formed at many polling stations amid high voter turnout.

“We promise, everyone will vote. If there is a line at 10 p.m., the polling stations will continue to operate until everyone who arrived by 10 p.m. has voted. There is no need to worry,” he said.

Polling stations opened at 7am and are scheduled to close at 10pm, although exit polls could be delayed if voting continues beyond that time.