Israel Election Turnout Reaches 50-Year High at Midafternoon Mark

Israel's Central Elections Committee reported that almost 45 percent of eligible voters had cast a ballot by 2pm on Tuesday (12:00 GMT). That is the highest turnout recorded at that point in the day in 50 years, and it is 6 percent above the level seen at the same hour in the 2022 election.

Mitchell Barak, a pollster and former aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Al Jazeera the turnout "is really high and that's good." He suggested the final figure could surpass the historic peak set in 1973, a year when Israel was also engaged in a major war. "So draw what conclusion from that you will," he said.

The vote is widely viewed as a referendum on Netanyahu's handling of the October 7, 2023 attacks led by Hamas and the wars that followed. Those conflicts mark the most intense period of fighting for Israel since Egypt and Syria launched their surprise military campaign in 1973.

Barak said the high participation is likely to benefit parties already in parliament. The Knesset entry threshold remains at 3.25 percent, so as turnout rises, the number of votes a party needs to clear that bar "increases dramatically."

Israeli officials said several polling stations had seen exceptionally long lines. They attributed the queues to heavy turnout, which came despite rain and gusty weather in parts of the country and a flood warning in some areas.

More than five hours after polls opened, Netanyahu urged his supporters to vote. He said turnout was strong among his opponents on the left and among Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up about a fifth of the population. "We need it to be high too. You all need to stream to the polls," he said, calling it "a fateful moment." Before the vote, he had repeatedly warned of high turnout among Palestinian citizens, seeking to rally his base under the slogan "the right or Palestine."

Palestinian candidate Ahmed Tibi said those voters were casting ballots in "unprecedented" numbers. Netanyahu and his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, have both ruled out partnering with Arab parties, citing a lack of shared values. Some scenarios nonetheless envision those parties propping up a minority government in order to remove Netanyahu from office.

Separately, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) filed a complaint with the Central Elections Committee warning that widespread delays could be suppressing the vote among Israeli Palestinians. The group acknowledged the delays might result from heavy turnout, but said they had been reported in at least 18 communities. It asked the committee to investigate "whether these delays are deliberate."

ACRI also reported "a large presence" of police and National Guard officers at a polling station in the Negev Desert. The group voiced concern that officers might be using crowd control as a pretext to keep people from entering to vote.