the case of the provocative protege cast

Netanyahu’s opponents, an ideologically diverse constellation of parties, are equally hamstrung in cobbling together the 61 seats needed to rule. “I’m a little worried,” Netanyahu said after voting. With former allies and proteges refusing to sit under him while he is on trial, Netanyahu has been unable to form a viable majority government in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament. “Vote for the state of Israel, and for the future of our children,” Lapid said after casting his ballot in the upscale Tel Aviv neighborhood where he lives.Īfter he cast his vote in the West Bank settlement where he lives, Ben-Gvir promised that a vote for his party would bring about a “fully right-wing government” with Netanyahu as prime minister.īen-Gvir, who has been convicted of incitement for his anti-Arab rhetoric and has promised to deport Arab lawmakers, has seen his clout rise in the polls ahead of the vote and has demanded a key portfolio should Netanyahu be tapped to form a government. Netanyahu’s main rival is the man who helped oust him last year, the centrist caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who has warned against the nationalist and religious alliance that would emerge should Netanyahu return to power. But there was no breakdown of the vote that might show who was benefitting. local time, turnout stood at 38.9%, the highest at that time since 1999. And while polls predict another stalemate, Netanyahu is looking to the surging power of far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir to propel him back to power.Įlection officials said that by 2 p.m. For the fifth time since 2019, Israelis were voting in national elections on Tuesday, hoping to break the political deadlock that has paralyzed the country for the past three and a half years.Īgain, the vote centers around former premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s fitness to lead while he faces corruption charges.

The case of the provocative protege cast