Netanyahu’s Last-Minute Appeal For Votes Is Blocked As Israelis Cast Ballots

[Purveyor]

Source: McClatchy

By Joel Greenberg
McClatchy Foreign Staff
03/17/2015 1:44 PM

JERUSALEM

Israel’s election commission chief on Tuesday barred Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from broadcasting new appeals to his followers for their support as Israelis cast ballots in a surprisingly close election that threatens to unseat the prime minister.

The commission ruled that a broadcast appeal – Netanyahu had planned two television interviews – would violate the country’s ban on political ads on election day.

The rejection came as officials reported that turnout by 4 p.m., at 45.4 percent, was lagging slightly behind the rate of the election in 2013. Polls remain open until 10 p.m.

In a last-minute video appeal to supporters on his Facebook page, Netanyahu warned that “the rule of the right is in danger” and that “Arab voters are going in droves to the polls” in buses provided by leftist groups.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article14852183.html

[KamaAina]

1. “Arab voters are going in droves to the polls”

He should have rammed a voter ID law through the Knesset while he had the chance. Did he learn nothing from Boner et al.?

[Voice for Peace]

3. aren't those arabs Israeli citizens?

oy

[KamaAina]

4. They are

as are the African Americans our voter ID laws are designed to disenfranchise American citizens.

[TexasTowelie]

2. The low turnout is somewhat surprising.

That actually favors Netanyahu according to other articles that I read.

It's good that they did not let Bibi violate the electioneering laws though.

[Purveyor]

9. i24 TV is claiming that israel is experiencing the highest voter turnout since 1999.

[Iliyah]

14. predicted approx. 80% turn out.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

5. Fucking fascist. n/t

[azurnoir]

6. okay so the voting is almost over 10pm Israeli time is about an hour from now US time

wonder how long the tabulation will take ?

[Chakaconcarne]

10. I heard it might take weeks....

plenty of time to lose certain votes...

[azurnoir]

12. I'm not sure that tabulating the votes will take that long, it hasn't in the past what will or could

take weeks is the coalition forming once the votes are counted, no 1 party will be winner take all, there has to be a coalition between the parties to get 61 or more seats in the Knesset

[vkkv]

7. Love to see right wingers squirm like the worms

that they are.

[George II]

8. “Arab voters are going in droves to the polls”???

BFD! Back in 2008 and 2012 black voters in America went to the polls "in droves". They waited up to six or seven hours in some places.

That's what elections are all about!

[Iliyah]

15. It would nice to have polls opened until 10 pm here in the USA.

[Fred Sanders]

11. "Bibi's Bid to Broadcast Bitching Banned"

[Fred Sanders]

13. 8:33 P.M. Voter turnout at 8 P.M. stands at 65.7%, up from 63.9% in 2013 (Haaretz)

http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel-election-2015/1.647304


Attorney Elad Naveh, who runs the control room of the Central Elections Committee, explained that the voting data is based on 9,000 polling stations across Israel, not a sample of 400, like in previous elections, making the data more accurate. (Ofra Edelman)

..................

Election Commission rules Netanyahu press conference 'illegal propaganda.'
By Haaretz | Mar. 17, 2015 | 8:33 PM | 12



"Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "panicking," adding that his "lies" earlier on Tuesday prove that he is a "hysterical, divisive, inciting prime minister."


Live Updates: Netanyahu on election panel decision to ban his speech: 'No one will shut us up'; Election panel deems Netanyahu press conference 'illegal propaganda.'


In a Facebook post, Herzog urged voters to "join the upheaval," so that Israel "won't wake up tomorrow morning with the same lying, divisive, inciting prime minister." (Haaretz)

[Delphinus]

16. Praying

he loses.