Israel election turnout highest in 50 years as voting continues

Almost 45 percent of Israeli voters had cast ballots by mid-afternoon on Tuesday, the Central Elections Committee said, the highest turnout by that time in 50 years and six percentage points above the 2022 election. The vote is widely seen as a referendum on Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks and the wars that followed. Pollster Mitchell Barak said high turnout could benefit incumbent parties, while officials reported long queues at several polling stations despite rain and strong winds. Netanyahu urged his supporters to vote, saying turnout was high among left-wing voters and Palestinian citizens of Israel.