Israelis return to polls for new election

Israelis return to polls for new election

ISRAEL-VOTE (AFP)

Nearly six and a half million Israelis headed to the polls Monday, in an effort to break the nation's political deadlock

By Nathan Morley

Yet again, Israelis are at the voting booths given that neither Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main challenger Benny Gantz could cobble together a majority coalition following the last two elections.

Even now, opinion polls suggest the latest round is too close to call.

Speaking to reporters as he cast his ballot in Jerusalem, President Reuven Rivlin called on all Israeli citizens to vote, but decried what he described as a ‘horrible, grubby campaign’.

Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, is seeking re-election just a fortnight before he is scheduled to stand trial on corruption charges – for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust - on 17 March.

If victorious, Netanyahu has vowed to annex Jewish settlements and parts of the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank.

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