Netanyahu's future on the line in Israel parliament election

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Townhall:

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political survival was on the line Tuesday in a hard-fought parliamentary election pitting his nationalist and security-first ideology against his challengers' focus on the plight of the country's struggling middle class.

 

Opinion polls showed a tight race heading into Tuesday's vote, with Netanyahu's opponents, led by Isaac Herzog of the centrist Zionist Union, showing a slight lead. The last available poll was published Friday, when a significant number of voters were still undecided.

 

In a dramatic last-ditch effort to appeal to his right-wing base, Netanyahu reiterated his pledge Tuesday to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and took a swipe at Israel's own Arab minority.

 

"Right wing rule is in danger. Arab voters are going to the polls in droves. Left wing organizations are bringing them in buses," Netanyahu said in a video statement posted on his Facebook page.

 

He called on supporters to vote for him to "narrow the gap" between his party and the Zionist Union. "With your help, and with the help of God, we will build a nationalist government that will protect the state of Israel," he said.