Beit Shemesh mayor ekes out second-place finish, securing spot in mayoral run-off

A number of municipalities will hold run-offs after no candidates managed to pick up at least 40% of the vote in the respective locales.

Among these is Beit Shemesh, where results show incumbent Mayor Aliza Bloch has won a tight battle with former mayor Moshe Abutbul for second place. With all ballots counted, Bloch has 32.4% of the vote to Abutbul’s 31.9%.

She is now slated to face off against Shmuel Greenberg, who has 35.7% of votes.

Another city that will hold a run-off is Haifa, where Mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem is sent packing after only picking up 4.5% of the vote in a crowded field. The second round of voting in the northern city, which is Israel’s third most populous, will see former longtime mayor Yona Yahav — who lost to Kalisch-Rotem in 2018 — run against David Etzioni.

Rehovot will also hold a run-off between Matan Dil and Zohar Blum, with Mayor Rahamim Malul trailing behind them in third place.