Israelis In Another Round Of Polls For Fourth Time In Two Years

Israelis go to the polls Tuesday for the fourth time in two years. But while the main issue in each of these elections has been to decide the fate of a single man, Prime Minister Benjamin  Netanyahu, the political landscape has meanwhile been shifting significantly, primarily toward the right.

In each of the previous contests, Netan­yahu’s main opposition was from a large centrist party, while he represented a fairly united coalition of right-wing and religious parties, but now the right itself is split, with several parties vowing never to join a coalition with him in it.

Less than two weeks before Israelis vote in their fourth election in two years, a poll released Wednesday shows no clear path to Knesset majority for either major bloc. Four parties are teetering on the verge of the 3.25-percent electoral threshold, and any one of them that eventually end up out of the Israeli parliament after March 23 could tip the balance.

Personal details of all Israeli voters again leaked online, day before election

Personal details of all voters were published online Monday, in another massive leak of Israelis’ personal information before Knesset elections.

The data breach was apparently linked to the Elector app, which was blamed for previous leaks when it was being used by the ruling Likud party to boost turnout.

The Haaretz daily reported that on Monday, a day before the fourth national elections in two years, some journalists received a link to the database on Ghostbin, a website that allows people to post anonymous messages.

The anonymous uploaders — identified as “The Israeli Autumn” — reportedly said they were “forced” to release the information due to the failure of authorities to deal with Elector. They did not provide evidence that the information originated from Elector.

Many party leaders and prominent politicians voted early and likewise urged the public to participate in the election, while some warned of the dire consequences of a failure to back their parties.

Netanyahu voted at another school polling station in Jerusalem, where he called on everyone to vote but refused to predict the results.

“This is a festival for democracy,” Netanyahu said alongside his wife, Sara. “This is a happy country. Israel is a country where people are smiling.”

“I hope this is the last election,” he added, referring to this being the fourth vote in two years.