From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Likud, Blue and White both insist the other side’s voters are flooding the polls
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLikud and Blue and White both insist the other side’s voters are flooding the polls — after the Central Elections Committee releases the first turnout figures as of 10 a.m. showing a 35-year high of 15 percent.
Blue and White officials tell the Times of Israel that the high turnout is not happening in left-leaning Tel Aviv, where they say turnout is down by 2.5 percentage points from the April race.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, posts a glossy graphic to Twitter purporting to show a vast disparity between what he calls “leftist cities” and “Likud cities.”
“Leftist cities” Hod Hasharon, Herzliya, Kfar Saba, Ra’anana, Givatayim and Modiin have a turnout ranging from 68% to 78%, whereas “Likud cities” Ashkelon, Beersheba, Netanya, Tiberias, Hadera and Bat Yam range from 52% to 63%.
Arab Israeli activist Afif Abu-Much replies to Netanyahu with contradictory figures showing relatively low turnout in left-leaning cities — Tel Aviv 63%, Arab Nazareth 39.8% — and much higher figures in right-wing settlements, from Yitzhar in the northern West Bank (81.6%) to Beit El near Ramallah (85.1%).
It’s a safe bet, dear voter, that you’re being spun by all concerned. Just go vote.
The Times of Israel Community.