adminThe vote is widely expected to usher in a government which will swing further to the right, whittling away at the chances of a peace deal with the Palestinians and raising the prospect of greater diplomatic isolation for the Jewish state.
Those elected will face key diplomatic and foreign policy questions, including Iran’s nuclear programme, which much of the world believes is a cover for a weapons drive, and pressure to revive peace talks with the Palestinians.
No less pressing are the domestic challenges, including a major budget crisis and looming austerity cuts which are likely to exacerbate already widespread discontent over spiralling prices and the cost of living.
For weeks, opinion polls have given a clear lead to Netanyahu, the media-savvy leader of the rightwing Likud, which is running on a joint list with the hardline secular nationalist Yisrael Beitenu.
But as the day of reckoning neared, polls showed falling support for the joint list, which was seen taking 32 seats — 10 lower than they currently hold — or just over a quarter of the 120-seats in parliament.
With the campaign entering its home stretch, party leaders and activists fought to secure the support of the as-yet undecided 15percent of the electorate, which press reports said amounted to 17 or 18 seats.
One of the key issues of the vote has been the public anger over the rising cost of living, with Netanyahu coming in for heavy criticism over his economic record.
In an 11th-hour attempt to sway voters, Netanyahu on Sunday night named a former Likud minister known for his success in slashing mobile phone costs to the top post in the Israel Land’s Administration in a move he claimed would significantly lower the price of housing.
But his opponents slammed the move as a “fig leaf” and several pundits said it was testimony to the “panic” that Netanyahu was feeling ahead of the vote. — Sapa
Online Reporter