High turnout, unresolved local discrepancies
More than 1.2 million Israelis, 16.68% of eligible voters, had voted by 10 a.m. in elections for the 26th Knesset. This was reported as the highest turnout for that hour since 1981.
Long lines were reported nationwide, while the Central Elections Committee said there had been far fewer unusual incidents than at the same stage in previous elections.
Election-day commentary questioned discrepancies between national and reported local turnout figures, noting that almost no right-leaning locality approached the national average.
The supplied local figures ranged from 6.8% in Bat Yam to 15.7% in Kedumim, with Rahat at 14%. Observers in Rahat reportedly said some polling stations had already reached 50%.
The commentary argued that the hour-and-a-half gap between the figures could not alone explain the discrepancy, which remains unresolved.
The commentary also cautioned that high morning turnout could reflect people voting before outings or leisure activities, as in recent elections. It identified the 2 p.m. figures as a clearer test of whether unusually high participation would continue.
According to the IDF, 30% of soldiers had voted by 10 a.m., compared with 25.7% at the same hour in the 2022 election.
Military voting began a week earlier, with 850 polling stations deployed at bases across Israel and beyond its borders.
Election-day arrests and political remarks
Three suspects from Segev Shalom and Ar’ara were arrested on suspicion of planning to distribute money to citizens in exchange for voting for Ra’am.
Envelopes containing tens of thousands of shekels were allegedly intended for those voters.
Abu Shehadeh arrived to vote following his disqualification and said:
“Arabs will flock to the polls, and the racists will flock to the opposition. I hope they suffer a defeat after several years of war crimes.”
Border crossing near Nitzana under review
The IDF said surveillance identified an Egyptian civilian crossing the border fence from Egypt into Israel near Nitzana overnight Tuesday.
Soldiers apprehended him and transferred him to security forces for further questioning. The military said it views the incident with severity, maintains a high level of defensive readiness in the area and is reviewing the incident.
Channel 14 described the suspect as ‘an Arab man with extremist views’ and reported that he was transferred to the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) for questioning. The IDF account did not include that characterization.
Reported destruction of terrorists’ memorial
A separate report said Israeli forces appear to have destroyed a memorial to terrorists following a campaign by Tzvi Sukkot, describing the action as coming after years.
