Voters take fourth shot at deciding Netanyahu's fate

JERUSALEM, Middle East－Israelis began voting on Tuesday in the country's fourth parliamentary election in two years, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hoping a rapid COVID-19 vaccine rollout will win him another term.

Opinion polls had forecast a tight race between those who support Israel's longest-serving premier and those who want "anyone but Bibi", as he is widely known.

"Vote, vote, vote, vote, vote," Netanyahu said after casting his ballot in Jerusalem, his wife, Sara, at his side.

Yair Lapid, a former finance minister who heads the centrist Yesh Atid party, has emerged as Netanyahu's main challenger. He said as he voted in Tel Aviv: "This the moment of truth for the State of Israel."

Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving head of government but is also on trial on corruption charges. He denies any wrongdoing.

The dominant political figure of his generation, Netanyahu, 71, has been in power since 2009.

But the Israeli electorate is deeply polarized, with supporters hailing him as "King Bibi" and opponents holding up placards calling him "crime minister".

Opinion polls indicated an uptick for Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party in the campaign's final days, giving a prospective coalition of conservative and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties around 60 seats in the 120-member parliament.

On the campaign trail, Netanyahu has highlighted his role in securing millions of vaccine doses from Pfizer and turning Israel into what he dubbed a "vaccination nation".

Nearly half of Israelis have been fully inoculated at a pace that drew international praise for Netanyahu. But there have also been calls for Israel to do more to ensure Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza receive vaccines.

'A little bit tiring'

One truth: Israelis are weary of the do-overs.

"It would be better if we didn't have to vote, you know, four times in two years," said Jerusalem resident Bruse Rosen after casting his ballot. "It's a little bit tiring."

Taking to social media on Tuesday morning, Netanyahu urged his supporters to bring friends and relatives to the polling stations to ensure "a strong right-wing government".

Another possible, but less likely, outcome is an alliance among right-wing, centrist and left-wing parties opposed to a Netanyahu-led government.

The polls showed such an "anyone but Netanyahu" alliance likely falling short of a ruling majority.

Polling stations opened at 7 am and were expected to close at 10 pm local time, when exit polls could point to voting trends, if not a clear winner.

Netanyahu's current government, a power-sharing alliance with centrist Defense Minister Benny Gantz, collapsed in December, some seven months after it was established.

Gantz's Blue and White party is forecast to win barely enough votes to get into parliament, after he angered many of his supporters by agreeing to serve under an indicted prime minister.

Agencies - Xinhua